This edition of the international artistic creation laboratory Linha de Fuga brings together 12 artists from Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Brazil, Chile, in Coimbra, presenting projects that aim to discuss with the city, their peers, and other social and human areas various ways of thinking about and confronting the personal and social fears that surround us.In the contemporary world, marked by social, political, and economic challenges, facing fears has become an essential task for building a more just and equal society, a crucial step toward social transformation. The need for a critical analysis of our society and its power structures is essential as individuals, and we believe that only through collective resistance can we achieve an effective response to forms of domination. We also believe that art can challenge social norms and create spaces for resistance and transformation. According to the theorist Bojana Kunst, by expressing our fears and concerns through art, we can create a space to confront and overcome these emotions while building solidarity and connection with others.In this laboratory, we challenge the participating artists to recognize and confront fears, but also to create a space for personal and social transformation, using art as a channel to generate empowerment and solidarity, enabling the construction of a more compassionate and resilient world.

The laboratory was conceived as a space for creation but also for exchange, designed as a Temporary Autonomous Zone, according to Hakim Bey’s concept, with moments of collective work and periods of personal work. This methodology allows, on one hand, the development of personal creation and research processes, accompanied by Gustavo Ciríaco, an invited artist who will individually support and question the selected artists and projects; but also to take advantage of the presence of other festival artists for individual conversations, as well as to promote interaction with their peers.

As part of the laboratory, we will have some public activities shared with the city. At the very beginning, the participating artists will introduce themselves and their projects in a meeting between peers and territory. There will also be two workshops open to the local and national community: one laboratory developed by Gustavo Ciríaco, where participants will be guided on a journey of discovery and reflection about their practices, addressing conflicts and resolutions; and a workshop led by Paloma Calle, where participants dive into the depths of artistic creation, using Gestalt Therapy tools as a lens to examine the artwork and the creative process.We are also integrating the launch of the Coreia journal into the laboratory activities, which we have been hosting since its sixth edition.Some of these artists may want to present their ongoing processes, so we have scheduled the weekend of November 16 and 17 for a program to take place in their workspaces, where we also invite the audience to observe and enter the universe of doubts and potentials of the artistic creation process. With such diverse origins and backgrounds in the group, we are sure it will be fertile ground for critical thinking and the exposure of sensitivities among everyone. Stay tuned, there’s a lot happening in November!