Beeline, the Architectural Intervention by SO-IL, Is on Display as MAAT Reopens

Written by Christele Harrouk
Published on June 15, 2020

MAAT, the museum of art, architecture, and technology in Lisbon, Portugal has officially reopened its doors on June 10, unveiling to the public the new projects originally scheduled to launch before the Covid-19 lockdown, such as Beeline, an architecture intervention by SO – IL. Transforming the museum into a landscape of encounters and conversations, this exhibition also generates a temporary second entrance to the gallery space.

+ 12

Under current health regulations and safety measures, MAAT has opened again to the public. In fact, French, Lisbon-based designer Sam Baron, created a communication system to aid visitors’ return to the museum in respect of regulations. “A three-dimensional, low-tech system permeates the sites of the museum with a gentle yet unique design language made of reconfigurable modules using common bricks and reflective surfaces with a personal graphic language to remind visitors how to respect current rules”.

Showcasing long-awaited exhibitions, the museum is presenting Beeline, a wide architecture intervention commissioned to the NY based studio SO-IL of Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu, realized in partnership with Artworks. Accompanying this major project is the exhibition Currents – Temporary Architectures by SO-IL, presented in the elliptical ramp inside the central space of the museum, featuring 12 projects the studio formulated over the past decade. Organized in six thematic pairs, the architecture firm explores its ephemeral and built work.

In addition, the architects designed a set of 15 mobile and reconfigurable art storage units, scattered throughout the space. Collectively titled The Peepshow – Artists from the EDP Foundation Portuguese Art Collection, these elements feature discreet and intimate interventions revealing personal sneak peeks into their private worlds of artists like Catarina Botelho, Paulo Brighenti, Tomás Colaço, Luísa Ferreira, Horácio Frutuoso, Mariana Gomes, Pedro Gomes, André Guedes, João Louro, Maria Lusitano, João Ferro Martins, Paulo Mendes, Rodrigo Oliveira, Francisco Vidal, and Valter Vinagre.

Also, part of Beeline, three audio stations, entitled Sound Capsules, host a sequential series of curated sound proposals and specially produced contents realized in collaboration with students from ETIC. Moreover, it will also include a series curated by Gonçalo F. Cardoso, featuring selected works from the Discrepant record label catalog that explore the themes of “Alternate Realities” and “Atypical Traditions”.

On another hand, Extinction Calls is a commissioned sound project, realized by the artist Claudia Martinho and audible across all spaces of the MAAT building. Designed to offer a diversity of listening experiences, “this form of acoustic spatialization comprises the songs and voices of extinct and critically endangered bird species collected from online archival and collaborative platforms”.

We invite you to check out ArchDaily's coverage related to COVID-19, read our tips and articles on Productivity When Working from Home and learn about technical recommendations for Healthy Design in your future projects. Also, remember to review the latest advice and information on COVID-19 from the World Health Organization (WHO) website.