Porto now has a new cultural space dedicated to digital and immersive art. Located in the historic building of the old Casa das Máquinas do Funicular dos Guindais, Casa das Máquinas opens on October 29 with “Amazonia Immersive Art,” an exhibition with artistic direction by Aíla and Roberta Carvalho that proposes a contemporary approach to the Amazon, its communities and the challenges shaping its future, as announced in a press release.
According to the same source, after welcoming more than 30,000 visitors in Belém, Brazil, the exhibition arrives in Porto for its first international presentation. Through works by more than a dozen artists, combining painting, video and photography in 360-degree projections, visitors are invited to learn about different perspectives on the world’s largest tropical forest.
Among the artists represented are Ailton Krenak, the first Indigenous person elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Olinda Silvano, weaver and muralist of the Shipibo-Konibo people of Peru, and Paulo Desena, an Indigenous Desana.
The artistic directors explain that the exhibition seeks to counter historical narratives that portrayed the Amazon as an empty, exotic forest waiting to be discovered. “It is a reunion that only becomes possible when those who were narrated begin to narrate,” say Roberta Carvalho and Aíla, regarding the presentation of the project in Portugal.
A Historic Building with a New Function
The Casa das Máquinas embraces the architecture of the building as an integral part of the artistic experience. The granite walls, the verticality of the rooms and the relationship between natural light and immersive environments were incorporated into the space design, whose expansion and rehabilitation were carried out by the architecture firm of Nuno Valentim.
Built to house the machines of the Guindais Funicular, designed by Raul Mesnier and inaugurated 135 years ago, the building later hosted the workshop of sculptor Henrique Moreira after the funicular’s decommission. The rehabilitation preserved the building’s historic identity, adapting it to the demands of new cultural experiences.
“What we aim to build is not only a space for contemplation, but an artistic experience in which the visitor becomes an integral part of the narrative,” explains Kelly Faleiro, cofounder of the project. Gustavo Fontes, also a cofounder, adds that the proposal seeks to provide new ways of feeling and interpreting the works through intuition and immersion.
Restaurant, Cultural Programming and Events
In addition to the exhibition area, Casa das Máquinas houses the Guindais Garden Bar & Restaurant, inaugurated on May 26, 2026. The restaurant and panoramic terrace, developed in partnership with Real Companhia Velha and Grupo Romando, offers views over the Douro River and the Luís I Bridge.
The space will also host cultural events, artistic initiatives and private events, in a programming intended to cross artistic creation, heritage and technology.
Tickets for “Amazonia Immersive Art” cost €18 for adults and €12 for children. Discounts are available for families and groups, as well as reduced rates at selected times.
More information about the programming and the tickets is available at www.casadasmaquinas.com.
