Between Territory and Creation: A Trimester of Regeneration in Motion
Regenerating territories begins with regenerating relationships, between people, place and purpose, building a sustainable tomorrow through the convergence of culture, ecology and community.
In the second trimester of 2026, Convento da Terra, through the DaST Foundation, continues to affirm Torrão as a living territory of encounter, where artistic practice, research and community engagement intertwine in an organic, consistent and deeply rooted way. More than a geographical location, Torrão emerges as a space of relationship, where time, memory and contemporary action converge to shape new possibilities for collective existence.
Grounded in the belief that regenerating territories begins with regenerating relationships, between people, place and purpose, the programme unfolding over these months proposes an approach that moves beyond the logic of isolated events. Artistic residencies, co-creation processes, workshops, istalations and performances, theatre shows, walks and moments of collective reflection become platforms for listening, sharing and building together, where knowledge is not only transmitted, but lived, experienced and transformed into practice.
Each initiative becomes a point of connection, a gesture that brings community and territory closer, that recovers stories and knowledge, and that activates new forms of belonging. By engaging different generations, disciplines and perspectives, this path reinforces the understanding that a sustainable tomorrow is built through the convergence of culture, ecology and community, within an ongoing relationship of care, responsibility and imagination.
Between the Xarrama River and the Convento da Terra – AQUI space, between the natural landscape and the place of encounter, between active community participation and artistic gesture, a path unfolds that does not remain confined to the present. A path rooted in the territory, yet in dialogue with global challenges, affirming Torrão as a living laboratory of regeneration, where more conscious, just and sustainable ways of inhabiting the world are explored in real scale.
Artist Residency
"Sediment Laboratory"
April 14 to 19th 2026
From 14 to 19 April, Convento da Terra hosts the third artistic residency, “Sediments Laboratory”, part of a cycle of residencies promoted by Coletivo Guarda-Rios, centred on the Xarrama River and the surrounding territory of Torrão.
Developed by António Júlio Duarte and Mingyu Wu, this residency continues an ongoing process of creation, experimentation and mapping that explores the relationships between natural systems and human activities, within a circular logic of water, where rivers are both sources of raw material and recipients of the waste generated by human production.
Drawing from the observation of the Vale do Gaio Irrigation Scheme and the collection of clays and sediments from the Xarrama, the artists propose a body of work that brings together photography and sculpture/ceramics, investigating sediments both as physical matter and as a sensitive archive of the territory.
Situated between artistic practice and ecological reflection, “Sediments Laboratory” invites us to read the landscape as a living system, where the soil acts as a filter, a memory, and a witness to environmental and human transformations.
This residency is part of a sequence of three distinct moments which, throughout March and April, have approached the river through sound, drawing, installation and image, contributing to a deeper understanding of the impacts and interdependencies that shape this ecosystem.
Coletivo Guarda-Rios is funded by DGArtes / Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
INSTALLATION | PERFORMANCE + PUBLIC PRESENTATION
THEATRE WORKSHOP & COMMUNITY CO-CREATION “STORIES OF A RIVER”
April 18th 2026 / 15:30
AQUI Space - Convento da Terra
On 18 April, the TNDM II Theatre Workshop in Torrão presents “Stories of a River”, an installation/performance created by the young participants of the workshop, taking place at the AQUI space of Convento da Terra.
This moment marks the group’s first public presentation and is the result of a collective process that brings together artistic creation, local identity and shared memory. Through imagined stories about the future of the Xarrama River, the young participants offer a sensitive reflection on the territory, giving voice to concerns, desires and possibilities, both real and surreal, for a living Xarrama.
More than a performance, this gathering transforms the space into a place of dialogue between generations, narratives and experiences.
Following the performance, there will be an open conversation with the audience, featuring a special contribution from the Universidade Sénior do Torrão.
We warmly invite everyone to join us.
PUBLIC SPACE INTERVENTION + PUBLIC PRESENTATION
THEATRE WORKSHOP & COMMUNITY CO-CREATION “I AM ALSO A RIVER”
May 9th 2026 / 15:30
Praça Bernardim Ribeiro
On 9 May, following Stories of a River presented in April, the young participants of the Theatre Workshop continue their creative process with “I Am Also a River”, an artistic intervention in public space.
This collective action invites the community to take part actively by contributing pieces of blue fabric on which they can write messages, draw, or add symbols connected to the Xarrama River.
The collected fragments will come together to form an artistic “river”, installed in the square for one week, a visual and symbolic gesture that extends the work developed so far, strengthening the relationship between creation, territory and community expression.
In dialogue with the movement “For a Living Xarrama”, this intervention affirms the river as a space of memory, care and shared future.
As part of the international walking project WalkingRivers, the action situates the Xarrama within a broader reflection on rivers, ecologies and belonging, culminating on 16 May.
More than a presentation, this is an open invitation for the community to participate and engage actively in shaping a living, shared territory.
Community Walk + Picnic
Walking Rivers 2026 | "For a Living Xarrama"
May 16th 2026 / Meeting point: AQUI space / 09:30
Torrão once again joins the global initiative WalkingRivers 2026 through a community walk along the Xarrama River, accompanied by a moment of gathering and shared picnic. More than a physical route, this walk is conceived as a collective gesture of listening, presence and reconnection with the territory.
Part of an international movement spanning diverse geographies and cultures, WalkingRivers invites communities around the world to walk alongside their rivers, recognising them as living systems that sustain biodiversity, memory and territorial identity. It is a call to reconnect people with river ecosystems, fostering a deeper awareness of the interdependence between nature and society.
Within the context of Torrão, the Xarrama River stands as a central element of the landscape and local history, a space where lived experiences, knowledge and intergenerational narratives intersect. Along the route, stories and memories from the community will be shared, reinforcing the cultural dimension of the river and its importance as a shared heritage.
This initiative is part of a global network of actions that seek to raise awareness of the urgent need to protect water resources, encouraging practices of care, monitoring and civic engagement. By walking together, participants become part of a broader movement that affirms the essential role of rivers, not only in towns and villages, but in environmental balance and planetary sustainability.
More than a walk, WalkingRivers is an invitation to slow down, to observe, and to recognise the profound value of rivers in our lives, reinforcing our collective responsibility to protect and regenerate them for future generations.
Community Conversation
“CONVERSATIONS THAT GERMINATE”
WATER AND TERRITORY: THE FUTURE OF THE XARRAMA
May 16th 2026 / 16:00
AQUI Space - Convento da Terra
Following the impact of the first edition, dedicated to regenerative agriculture, the “Conversations that Germinate” series returns with a new session focused on the relationship between water and territory.
Under the theme Water and Territory: the Future of the Xarrama, this gathering proposes a collective reflection on current challenges related to water management, river use, and the environmental transformations shaping the territory.
This open space for dialogue brings together community members, specialists and diverse participants, fostering active listening and the shared construction of knowledge around key issues such as regeneration, sustainability and our collective future.
More than a conversation, this is an invitation to participate and engage actively in shaping a more conscious and resilient territory.
Artist Residency
"Arid Skin" by Lin Zhu
June 2nd to 14th 2026
AQUI Space - Convento da Terra
From 2 to 14 June, the AQUI space hosts the artistic residency “Arid Skin” by Lin Zhu, a research that explores the relationships between body, landscape and environmental condition through an interdisciplinary approach combining dance, video and performance practice.
Adopting a first-person perspective, the project examines the sensory connection between body and territory, where movement and perception merge. In Torrão’s sun-exposed fields and arid landscape, the body becomes a surface of contact with the environment, moving through dust, wind and light, and allowing the land itself to shape and influence the choreography.
“Arid Skin” approaches the landscape as a sensitive skin: a space that can be touched, crossed and experienced through movement. Through this encounter between body and environment, the work reflects on processes of adaptation, resistance and transformation, inviting an intimate and ecological reading of a territory marked by fragility and scarcity.
PERFORMANCE + PUBLIC PRESENTATION
THEATRE WORKSHOP: FINAL PERFORMANCE
June 11th 2026 / TBC
Vicente Rodrigues Theatre
As part of the Theatre Workshop project, the final presentation of the work developed by the group of young actors throughout the academic year will take place.
This performance marks the culmination of an ongoing process of creation, learning and experimentation, initiated in September 2025, involving students from the 2nd and 3rd cycles of Escola EB 2/3 Bernardim Ribeiro in the formation of a school theatre group closely connected to everyday life and local heritage.
Led by Miguel Magalhães, in partnership with Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Plano Nacional das Artes, Convento da Terra and the Municipality of Alcácer do Sal, the workshop has established itself as a space for discovery, expression and belonging, where theatre becomes a tool for listening and transformation.
More than a final outcome, this moment reflects a collective journey that values process as a space of trust, personal development and the building of relationships between participants, artists and territory.
Developed between Torrão and Arraiolos, this project is part of an ongoing practice of cultural mediation, fostering encounters, exchanges and experiences that expand the role of the arts in education.
This performance is therefore not only a presentation, but a celebration of a shared journey.
Artist Residency
“MEMORIES OF SADO RICE” BY DIOGO BENTO
June 17th to 21st 2026 / Open Studio
June 20th 2026 / 15:30 / LAUNCH OF RESEARCH NOTEBOOK VOL. 2
AQUI Space - Convento da Terra
As part of the artistic residency “Memories of Sado Rice”, Diogo Bento opens his ongoing research process to the public, inviting the community to closely engage with the development of the project.
Rooted in the landscape and agricultural practices of the Sado Valley, this work brings together contemporary artistic creation, archival research and collective memory, combining photography, listening practices and visual experimentation as ways of thinking about the territory.
Also informed by the international debate known as Black Rice, which highlights the role of African populations in the history of rice cultivation, the project proposes a re-examination of local narratives, questioning what remains and what has been forgotten within the memory of the Sado.
More than a presentation, the Open Studio becomes a space for encounter and exchange, inviting the community to contribute memories, stories and references, activating a collective process of reflection on the territory.
As part of the Open Studio, the launch of Research Notebook Vol. 2 will take place, a publication bringing together materials, processes and developments from the research.
This is a PhD research project funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology.
