“Luanda Upside Down” (Luanda de Baixo P’ra Cima) is an exhibition presenting two research projects developed by Paulo Moreira and Beyond Entropy Angola (Paula Nascimento and Stefano Rabolli Pansera). Both projects investigate the urban potential of Luanda’s informal neighbourhoods (bairros) and seek to stimulate a critical discussion on alternative planning practices in the Angolan capital.
The exhibition brings together material produced within the framework of Angola’s official participation in the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale, alongside research conducted by Paulo Moreira as the recipient of the 2012 Fernando Távora Prize, awarded by the Ordem dos Arquitectos – Secção Regional do Norte.
For the Venice Biennale, Paula Nascimento and Stefano Rabolli Pansera proposed a new urban model for the African city through a prototype conceived simultaneously as public space and productive infrastructure. The project’s conceptual framework, as well as its development and construction in Venice, are presented in the exhibition.
In parallel, Paulo Moreira’s fieldwork in Luanda focused on studying the modus operandi of Chicala, one of the city’s most central informal neighbourhoods. The exhibition features a life-size photographic installation portraying Chicala, developed in collaboration with photographer and artist Luís Damião, as well as a film that documents the dialogue between Chicala’s residents and the ongoing transformations shaping Luanda.
Luanda Upside Down (Luanda de Baixo P’ra Cima) was an exhibition held at the headquarters of Iperforma in Porto from 15 October 2012 to 25 January 2013. Co-curated by Paulo Moreira and Beyond Entropy Angola (Paula Nascimento and Stefano Rabolli Pansera). The project presented by Paulo Moreira was developed in close dialogue with the co-curators and organisers, through a translocal process spanning Porto, Luanda, and London. This work was carried out during the Fernando Távora Prize research trip (April–June 2012) and involved a multidisciplinary team, including Luís Damião (photography), Pedro Lino (video), Carla and Pedro Ferreira (design), Manuela Silva (consultant), Lara Ferreira (drawing), and Nuno Silva (assistance).