Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
Ahead of the biennial in 2028, Manifesta 17 Coimbra x Anozero will undertake an extensive pre-biennial research phase. Central to this process is the commissioning of an Urban Vision, led by an appointed Urban Creative Mediator, alongside Citizens' Consultations and Expectation Workshops bringing together residents, institutions and civil society.
Together, these processes will inform the spatial, civic and curatorial framework of the biennial, providing a foundation for the Artistic Creative Mediator to develop the artistic programme.
Beginning in 2027, the Urban Vision will focus on Rua da Sofia and the downtown area, a historic street within Coimbra's UNESCO World Heritage site, as a testing ground for new approaches to civic, cultural and ecological life in the city.
Rather than producing a conventional heritage study, the Urban Vision will explore practical approaches to reactivating vacant and underused spaces, connecting heritage with everyday civic life, strengthening ecological resilience and developing participatory and economic models that can endure beyond the biennial in 2028.
Photo © Coimbra City Council.