Outdoor Arts Portugal is an interdisciplinary platform promoted by Bússola, dedicated to professional creative and production agents working in the fields of performing arts in public space and contemporary circus in Portugal. In 2026, it will once again deliver the Outdoor Arts Portugal Laboratories, an immersive programme that brings together critical thinking and contemporary artistic practices, aligned with social and environmental concerns within artistic creation for public space.

This initiative aims to stimulate aesthetic and dramaturgical innovation in outdoor arts, while reinforcing the value of the “common space” through a multifaceted understanding of public space as a place of encounter and sharing. The programme explores the relationship between place, the artist and people, fostering a participatory and interdisciplinary approach. The laboratories combine masterclasses and debate, drawing on the experience and vision of invited guests, who engage directly with participants. This format encourages an open and constructive environment for exchange, enabling new perspectives and practices for the future of arts in public space.

Outdoor Arts Portugal Immersive Laboratory #5

Public space, community and interconnections

Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias

Funchal

7 March 2026

Duration: 4 hours

Time: 10:30 am to 4:00 pm (lunch break from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm)

Registration

The Outdoor Arts Portugal laboratories are promoted in partnership with Riscado and with the support of the Portuguese Republic – Culture, through the Directorate-General for the Arts. This edition is supported by Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias and the Municipality of Funchal.

Luís Sousa Ferreira

Founder and director of Riscado, an artistic project that values the relationship between the arts, territory and communities. He is Deputy Artistic Director of the National Theatre D. Maria II and founder of 23 Milhas, a project that brings together the four cultural venues of the Municipality of Ílhavo, alongside other cultural events. He was Artistic and Communication Consultant for Braga’27, the bid for European Capital of Culture 2027. He teaches on the Cultural Programming and Production course at ESAD Caldas da Rainha and is Artistic Director of the Aldear project in the Tâmega and Sousa region. Trained in Industrial Design, he served as Cultural Commissioner at the Médio Tejo Intermunicipal Community, led production coordination and development at experimentadesign, and worked as a cultural producer at the Centre for the Study of New Artistic Trends (CENTA). He was also the founder and artistic director of BONS SONS, a community-based Portuguese music festival in Cem Soldos, Tomar, and co-founder of colectivo-mente. He was a member of the working group responsible for improving the Arts Support Model and, since 2019, has been a member of the advisory board of the Portugal Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, as well as a columnist for Gerador magazine.