Gulbenkian Garden

A gem of the modernist gardens, both in Portugal and the world

25/26 May

10:00 — 18:00

Avenida de Berna 45

* Self-guided visit

Pets are not allowed.
The access is limited, on a first-come, first-served basis, without prior registration.
This is an entirely free event.

This garden is open daily and can be visited independently of the festival's programme.

This beautiful garden serves as a frame to the buildings of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, constructed in the 1960s.

It was designed by the landscape architects Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles and António Vianna Barreto, and it was developed around the buildings and the lake — in a mastery of the shapes and colours of the species present. There are areas with lawn and shade, winding paths on the large cement slabs, and the whole place flows and emphasizes one of the core ideas behind this garden: “a very strong dialogue between Man and Nature”.

There you will find fine and tall specimens of the Populus nigra var. italica, which contrast with the horizontal water mirror provided by the lake.

Related activities

15:00

Guided Visits

A Garden for the Senses – Space, Beyond Matter

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation gardens were designed by the landscape architects Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles and Manuel de Azevedo Coutinho during the 1950s and 1960s. In this stunning garden, as Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles put it, “we are in fact in the Mediterranean where the light is diffuse, so the leaves function as mirrors during one or two hours of the day and this is fundamental for life. And there is something else related to sound in this garden, which is the water, which flows here and there”

Any space is made up of much more than the eyes can see. In the Gulbenkian Garden, the light, the reflections, the different temperatures, and the sound of running water were all used as highly detailed tools with which to construct contrasting environments, which transport us to distant places in our memories.

On National Gardens Day, celebrated on the date that Gonçalo Ribeira Telles was born, landscape architect Aurora Carapinha will guide us through the Gulbenkian Garden revealing the subtle work of the senses in the construction of this garden.

Conducted by: Aurora Carapinha
Location: Gulbenkian Garden
Meeting Point: Edifício Sede entrance

For ages 16 and above
Capacity: 25 people (minimum participation of 10 people)
Duration: 90 minutes

Registration: free entry with ticket collection on the same day (one ticket per person)

* This visit will take place in the Gulbenkian Garden. Participants must wear suitable clothing and footwear. The activity will only be cancelled in the case of very bad weather.

10:30

Families

Sensorial Maps of a Garden

The Gulbenkian Garden is a happy meeting between the mastery of its designers and the natural forms and colours of the plants that give it shape, framing its art- and poetry-filled buildings.

How do we get to know a space, with our eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet and mouths?

I imagine with my eyes and my ears / And with my hands and feet / And with my nose and mouth. / Imagining a flower, seeing it and smelling it / And to eat a fruit, is to know its meaning. / That is why on a hot day / I feel sad from enjoying it so much, / And I lie down flat in the grass / And I shut my warm eyes, / I feel my whole body laid out in reality, / I know the truth and I am happy. (Alberto Caeiro, “Sou um guardador de rebanhos”)

In this workshop, we will sharpen all of our senses to discover this Garden fully, like Alberto Caeiro, and build a sensory map of this place.

Conducted by: Leonor Pêgo
Location: Gulbenkian Garden
Meeting Point: Edifício Sede entrance

Ages 6 to 12
Capacity: 25 people (minimum participation of 10 people)
Duration: 120 minutes

Registration: free entry with ticket collection on the same day (maximum two adults per child)

16:00 — 18:00

Other Activities

Coreografia Cantada

The Gulbenkian Garden is a happy meeting between the mastery of its designers and the natural forms and colours of the plants that give it shape, framing its art- and poetry-filled buildings.

We invite you to join in the sensations of this Coreografia Cantada, an immersive installation blending sound, dance and space. Make your way through the space, between the trunks of pine trees, voices that echo around, and bodies that play with the force of gravity.

Location: Gulbenkian Garden
Meeting point: Pinhal (next to the Modern Art Centre)

For all ages
Duration: 120 minutes

Registration not required. Places are available on a first come, first served basis.

* This is a durational event, lasting 20 minutes. It repeats 5 times between 4pm and 6pm.

Other gardens

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