The Archive of Vibrant Matter emerged in the context of the Porto Design Biennale 2021 as a dynamic collection of artefacts, materials, living organisms, matter and transformative practices. Initially presented by the Biennale's chief-curator Alastair Fuad-Luke as one of the axes of the Museum of Vibrant Matter exhibition, the archive now adopts a digital and open format that invites all citizens to become “material explorers”.

Through the submission of artefacts, the Archive appeals to the construction of a new relationship with the environments that shape our everyday lives — built, natural and hybrid. The items that make up the archive include materials submitted by the inhabitants of the territories of Porto and Matosinhos and by the participants of the workshops Captivating the Fibrosphere and Caring through Waters, developed within the curatorial program of the Museum of Vibrant Matter during the Biennale.

In November 2021, the materials from the Archive traveled to Ferrol, Galicia, Spain, for an exhibition at CIS Tecnoloxia e Deseño, in a partnership between Porto Design Biennale, the Agência Galega de Inovação de Xunta de Galicia and the Didac Foundation, under the scope of the Design for Innovation and Sustainability 2024 programme — DIFERENZA.

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