NUNO COELHO

Like any activity, the production and management of a cultural centre leave physical traces that gather in what is normally known as the archives or repository, or simply storage. “Essay on the expanded archives of the Rivoli” is a project based on the search for the different rooms where the physical traces this theatre’s activity are deposited and which, due to their nature, appear irremediably set aside and silenced. Not confining its research to the physical space of the Rivoli, the project sought to identify and include others traces deposited in other locations, hence the notion of expanded archives. The project is materialised in two forms – an exhibition and a publication. Although its main objective is not to tell the story of the Rivoli, the exhibition proposes to lend visibility to certain objects now transported into the hub of the Foyer on the 3rd floor, emphasising narratives normally invisible to the public. From this perspective, the publication does not aim to be a mere record of the exhibition, but instead it seeks to make a fragment of the archives of this theatre public. From a subjective and personal reading, the project aims to offer possible new readings of what is – or what should be – the expanded archives of the Rivoli. – Nuno Coelho

Nuno Coelho is a designer, teacher at Coimbra University and researcher at CEIS20. PhD in Contemporary Art from Coimbra University, MA in Design and Graphics from Barcelona University and degree in Communication Design/Graphic Art from Porto University. He regularly develops authorial projects in the intersection between design and art, raising questions mostly on social and political issues. He has also explored questions of identity and memory through exploration of the archives of historical Portuguese brands. He is a curator and the author of two books.