History

O Espaço do Tempo, located in Convento da Saudação in Montemor-o-Novo, is a transdisciplinary structure that serves to support countless national and international creators. Our main activity is an extensive program of artistic residencies in the areas of theater, dance, performance, music, visual arts as well as the arts in general, essentially focused on emerging contemporary creation.

Over the 19 years of its existence, Espaço do Tempo has been present at the beginning and subsequent development of the path of countless Portuguese creators.

Espaço do Tempo also extends its activity to support the internationalization of Portuguese creators, organizing, every two years, the Portuguese Platform of Performative Arts, the most important dissemination action for our contemporary creators, a meeting point for dozens of national and international programmers.

The third action line of O Espaço do Tempo is related to advanced peer training, an area in which it regularly organizes international meetings, seminars and residencies, such as Colina and TryAngle projects, awarded maximum classification in applications to the European Commission.

Finally, and aware that a decentralized artistic project is not possible without the corresponding socio-cultural vector, O Espaço do Tempo has developed, since the beginning of its activity, an intense relationship with the municipality’s human tissue.

In this sense, we regularly promote projects with schools, with associations, as well as an extensive calendar of shows, seminars, workshops and training actions, using our BlackBox as well as the magnificent spaces of the Convento da Saudação.

However, a year ago, after the collapse of part of the ceiling and due to the lack of security conditions, O Espaço do Tempo was forced to change its facilities. Having temporarily occupied (from March to October 2019) the magnificent space of the old hospital of Santo André. At this time, and after renovation works, Espaço do Tempo occupies the old premises of Oficina Magina, an emblematic industrial building in the center of Montemor. We plan to occupy these facilities during the time that the requalification works of the Convento da Saudação, the home of O Espaço do Tempo and countless Portuguese creators, are taking place.

We consider it essential to promote the values ​​of culture, democratic practices and vigorous reflection on environmental sustainability, taking the community in which we operate as a context.

Espaço do Tempo received the Gulbenkian Knowledge Prize in 2018 and celebrates, in 2020, 20 years of existence.