From June 24 to 27, Teatro do Bairro welcomed another edition of InArt - Community Arts Festival. Four days of performances, films, talks and meetings that brought together artists, audiences, and communities around artistic creation, participation, and the sharing of experiences.
The week began with the presentation of the performance b(l)alloon, by Blip | inclusive multisensory project (GR) on wednesday, the 24th. The piece explored sound, movement and vibration as shared fields of perception, creating a non-verbal, multisensory language. During the discussion, the group explained that the piece is still a work in progress, and that they had used this performance as an opportunity to experiment with costumes and explore the sounds made by different fabrics.
On the 25th, the session began with screenings of the films She’s Ready, by Nina Cavalcanti (BR) and The Occurrence of Colours by Night by Sophia Lenglachner (AU/DE). NOÉ (PT) presented the result of the creative process and research project, My Body? My Sex!, which involved the Lisbon laboratory community. The outcome was a critical reflection on gender, identity, sexuality and desire. It questioned sexual norms and explored the body’s potential for transformation and liberation.
Following a five-day choreographic workshop, the result of Jordi L. Vidal’s (ES/BE) work, The Crossing, was presented on Friday 26th. The performance was preceded by the films Há Mar e Mar by Chris Poulles (PT) and Entagled Waters by Robin Bisio (USA). In the closing talk with the artists, we were also joined by Marta Reis Jardim, performer and choreographer of the first film screened that evening. Marta explained how a continent made of plastic drifting in the sea and a bird with plastic in its stomach inspired the choreography she created with Magum Soares, which in turn, led to the short film that was screened.
The final day of the 2026 programme, on the 27th, focused on the themes of ageing and camaraderie, with a screening of Douglas Rosenberg’s (EUA) film The Sea. During the open discussion, the director spoke about part of the film’s production process and how his personal life had been a source of inspiration throughout his career.
