What is happening at Beja-vu?

The centre piece of the project is the the inhabited sculpture.The inhabited sculpture is a form of presentation, that on the one hand refers to the salons of the 19th century, and on the other hand is a form of instantistic collective art.This artistic format that has been developed by Mark Divo and his associates since the mid 1990s.Most of the artworks exhibited are built on site, often by spontaneous collaboration.This process makes the authorship of the artworks increasingly difficult to define.the concept of the priceless artwork is put into question by placing art pieces next to furniture from the junkyard, found objects, and pricey antiques.The inhabited sculpture also defies the ruling conception of art being the product of an individual artist.Through this process the space becomes a colourful, living art-work which addresses people who would otherwise have no easy access to contemporary art and cutting edge technology . It forms a framework for regular artistic events, readings, concerts, performances and discussions.Within this setting we host regular critical dinners-here an invited artist gives a talk before a dinner,and afterwards a discussion around the artistic approach of the artist evolves.

The program of events that beja vu provides brings international contemporary artists and computer geeks to the Portuguese periphery,and helps to stimulate both international tourism and European dialogue.Beja-vu is also open to hosting short term residency programs for international and Portuguese artists and scientists. Invited artists will be given free range of our workshops,and can exhibit their newest creations in the gallery space.

The cultural space in Beja-vu

The other structures within beja vu are the cultural spaces;consisting of 3 workshops,two concert and rehearsing rooms,a gallery,a shop,recording studio.We also plan to establish a tech lab, which functions like a conventional fablab, or maker space.Here we will offer regular courses and happenings themed around computers and new media.

The groundfloor of Nr. 13 praca da republica has several large rooms.One of these spaces can host concerts and performances for groups of up to 70 visitors, and can also be used as a congress centre.It is fully equipped with a soundsystem. We will have a screenprinting workshop and a workshop for wood and metal creations,which will also be based on the ground floor.

To the front of the square there are two rooms; the first houses a shop,in which local products and creations from the workshops are sold.The second room contains a white cube gallery space for art exhibitions.

Regular events

We plan to organise events in and around the building, with a special focus on the Praça da República, which is the principal square of the municipality of Beja.These events will happen during the spring and autumn, and their main purpose is to promote the city and the region as a future hub for innovative technologies and tourism,to an international audience.The combination of art and science should enhance the city of Beja as a new place for sustainable investments. For 2026 we are planing three festivals that would take place within our project.The first is the 11th international dada festival,a event that has been happening in regular intervals since 2002,the second is a film festival in collaboration with George Georgi and his agency “das Imperium”,the third is a tech festival which we would set up in collaboration with Dr. Marc Dussalier and his project „hacketria“ from Zürich.