CHAIA once again took part in the European Researchers’ Night, which took place on 25 September at Praça 1.º de Maio in Évora, as part of one of Europe’s largest initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between science and society. This year, CHAIA’s participation highlighted the Silva research project, which explores the potential of foods from the montado, and the Mercado Vivo – Living CoLab research and creation project.
At the CHAIA tent, visitors had the opportunity to sample wild berries, snacks made from rockrose seeds and jams, as well as to learn about food traditions associated with the montado and explore testimonies gathered from the older generation in rural communities. The initiative included the screening of interview excerpts and an invitation to participate directly by sharing recipes, memories, and food practices from the past, transforming the CHAIA space into a meeting place where scientific knowledge and local wisdom converged.
The diversity of CHAIA’s research in the fields of Heritage, Art History, Architecture, Landscape, Design, Visual Arts and Theatre was also represented through a selection of publications, available as free gifts to the public, reinforcing the centre’s commitment to communicating its research.
Inside the 1 de Maio Market, the Mercado Vivo – Living CoLab for Research and Creation in Participatory Media Art for the Co-creation of Inclusive and Sustainable Futures project presented a collective video mapping display projected onto the building’s walls, the result of an artistic research process carried out throughout the week. Created by Multimedia Art students, under the guidance of lecturers and researchers, the installation explored how participatory media art can contribute to understanding and valuing the heritage, memory, and knowledge of communities through artistic creation and digital technologies. Testimonies, narratives, and memories gathered from the community gave rise to an audiovisual work that transformed the market square into a space for research, learning, and co-creation. The activity constituted the first prototype of a Living CoLab, an innovative model of research-creation that brings together researchers, lecturers, students, artists, and the community in the collaborative production of knowledge on heritage, territory, and sustainability.
By taking part in the European Researchers’ Night, CHAIA reaffirmed its commitment to research that is open to public participation, demonstrating how artistic creation, local knowledge, and scientific research can converge to build more inclusive and sustainable futures.