The cultural heritage of water: reconnecting with rivers through art

On November 7th, 8th and 9th, dozens of international artists will gather for three days of creative festivities between the old port of Beato and Quinta Alegre, a socio-cultural complex in Lisbon, as part of the European Pavilion 2024, 'Liquid Becomings'.

The European Pavilion is an art programme held every two years by the European Cultural Foundation. This year, 'Liquid Becomings', produced by Espaço Agora Now in partnership with FLOW, MS-Fusion, Teatro Meia Volta and United Artist Labour, won the call for curatorial proposals open to cultural organisations across Europe. 

In Lisbon, the artists involved will share the work they created during a 28-day boat journey along four of the continent's most emblematic rivers: the Danube, the Tagus, the Rhine, and the Vistula.

Onboard each boat, five artists have focused on themes such as 'Ruins and Monsters', 'Perimeters', 'Togetherness' and 'Bodies and Politics'. The boats have been conceived as platforms for art, but also for meetings and debates to reflect on the future of Europe and our interconnectedness.

"We have shared what we have, our artistic practice with the people, and we've listened to their hopes, stories and dreams," explains Naomi Russel, co-curator of the Liquid Becomings project.

"We wanted to get into the less visible places and the only way to do that was to navigate rivers, which are like a nervous system that connects Europe," she adds.   

Naomi Russel explains that she wanted to create "a pavilion that isn't really a pavilion, to challenge these very fixed institutions, to create alternative models that are focused on people and ideas".

"The use of a boat was quite deliberate as a provocation, because Europe made its wealth from sailing boats during colonial