Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2025 seeks Chief Curator(s)

1.About

1.1. Introduction

The present call intends to proceed with the selection of the Chief Curator(s) for the 7th edition of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, which will be open to the public between September and December 2025.

The Lisbon Architecture Triennale is an event designed and produced by the private non-profit cultural association called Associação Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa.

Individual or collective applications are admissible.

Proposals must be submitted considering the fixed structure of the event, according to the following point:

1.2. Event structure

• 3 major exhibitions
• 3 books associated with the 3 exhibitions
• 1 international conference
• 3 awards: Universities, Début and Lifetime achievement
• 10-15 Independent Projects

It is up to the Association's Board of Directors to define the timeline of all parts of the programme, namely preview, press, opening days and international conference, as well as the definitive confirmation of the venues.

2. Programme
2.1. Theme/Title

The theme or title of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale’s 7th edition must be proposed by the Chief Curator(s) to the Association's Board of Directors for approval.

2.2. Presentation venues

The 3 central exhibitions will be organised with leading cultural institutions in the city of Lisbon. As an example, here are the exhibition venues for the 5th and 6th editions of the Triennale (2019 and 2022):

• MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology;
• Millennium bcp gallery at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Chiado;
• Centro Cultural de Belém - Garagem Sul;
• Culturgest;
• Palácio Sinel de Cordes - Headquarters of the Lisbon Triennale;
• Auditorium 2 of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (international conference).

2.3. Books

Each of the 3 exhibitions will be accompanied by the publication of a book whose objective is to complement the content presented, as opposed to a catalogue that would summarise the work on display. The intention is an element that may be independent of the exhibition, though strongly linked to it. The Chief Curator(s) will be responsible for defining themes, selecting the authors of texts and images, and editing the books. The Triennale will be accountable for the choice of the house responsible for publishing the books, though proposals submitted by the Chief Curator will be evaluated.

2.4. International Conference

An international conference will be organised with a maximum number of 12 to 16 speakers and a maximum duration of 3 days. It is up to the Chief Curator(s) to select the theme and speakers for the International Conference as well as to participate in it.

2.5. Awards

There are 3 Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Awards: Universities, Début and Lifetime Achievement, each with specific regulations. For the granting of the Universities award, a world competition will be organised, under the guidance of the Chief Curator(s) and aimed at schools of architecture. This competition should focus on this Triennale edition’s theme/title or one of its offshoots, producing projects and reflections to be included in the 3 main exhibitions.

In the other two awards, the collaboration of the Chief Curator(s) is only required to suggest personalities to integrate the respective juries.

The winners of the Début and Lifetime Achievement awards will deliver a conference on the occasion of each award’s handing.

2.6. Independent Projects

In addition to the central exhibitions, international conference and books, the 7th edition of the Triennale will include 10 to 15 Independent Projects whose relevance and interest must be recognised by the curatorial team of this Triennale’s edition in close collaboration with the executive team. These are events – exhibitions, lectures, actions, etc. – within the scope of architecture or intersecting disciplines, designed, produced and under the full responsibility of the entities or authors who propose them to the Triennale.

These projects, which are intended to expand the reflection scope of the Triennale in geographic and disciplinary terms, must take place within the limits of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and coincide in time with the Triennale. The selection of Independent Projects is done through an international call for proposals.

3. Budget/Fee

The budget for the 7th edition of the Triennale will be established in accordance with the limits predicted in the scope of the Association's general budget for the 2023-25 ​​triennium. In line with this principle, funds related to the 7th edition are expected to be communicated by March 2023.

4. Evaluation
4.1. Jury

The jury will be announced soon.

4.2. Selection criteria

The first stage of the selection will consider aspects such as the relevance of the theme, originality of the proposal and suitability to the objectives of the Triennale. In the second stage of selection, the structure and nature of the team, the experience value of the proposal’s authors, the eloquence in the presentation, teamwork and press relationship skills, among others, are added.

In case of doubt during the evaluation of the proposals, additional clarifications may be requested.

If no applications considered satisfactory are submitted, the Association reserves the right not to hire any of the authors of the proposals submitted to this call. If, after an application has been selected, it is not possible to reach an agreement on the terms of the contract, the Association reserves the right to negotiate with the runner-up instead.

4.3.Elegibility

• Members of the jury;
• Members of the institutions that organise or co-produce the 7th edition of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale;
• Spouses or people with family connections, up to the 2nd degree of direct or collateral line, to the members of the jury and the organising or co-producing institutions.

5.Form

1st Stage - Documents to be presented:

Biography identifying a minimum of 3 works authored by the tenderer, and the scope they are applying for. The first page must contain the identification of the tenderer - or representative for the application - including address, email address and telephone number (max. 4 A4 pages);

Document explaining the curatorial concept (max. 4 A4 pages).

• 2nd Stage - The jury selects up to four proposals for this stage, to whom an estimate of the available budget for the elaboration of the programme will be advanced. Documents to be presented:
• Two recommendation letters with contact details;
• Structure of the curatorial team with brief biographies of each element;
• Detailing of the proposal (max. 8 A4 pages);
• Presentation of the proposal to the jury via online teleconference. After the first selection stage, the proposals classified in the first 4 places will be presented in a videoconference system on a date to be announced by the Triennale. For this purpose, the authors of the proposals will be notified at least two weeks in advance.

6. Compensation of Proposals

A financial compensation of € 700,00 (seven hundred euros) will be awarded to each of the proposals selected for participation in the second stage of the selection process.

7. Changes to the Proposal

7.1. The proposals submitted in the form must be as faithful as possible to the reality of their implementation and feasibility.

7.2. The Lisbon Triennale reserves the right to exclude any project whose changes to the original proposal deviate in such a way from the assumptions leading to its selection that compromise its relevance to the objectives of this open call.

• June 15, 2022: Start of the call;
• October 15, 2022: Deadline for submission of applications - 1st stage;
• October/December 2022: 2nd stage (evaluation, interviews, negotiation, final selection)
• January/February, 2023: Deadline for the announcement of the result.
  
  

9. Contacts and Clarifications

Requests for clarification as well as the submission of applications must be made until 23:59 (WEST) of the deadline date in the calendar to 2025@trienaldelisboa.com

10. Final Provisions

The Lisbon Triennale reserves the right to amend these guidelines, committing itself to announcing such changes in the same way used for the original guidelines.