A celebration of design as agent of change, design that goes beyond (design) and stimulates a type of transformation that sometimes is (cultural), other times (social), sometimes (economic), and other times (environmental).

A celebration of design as agent of (change).

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AGENDA

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, November 29 — 15:00

Designing (with, for, and after) nature

Join us as we introduce the next edition of Gentler Futures Festival (June 2026).
During this preview session we will explore ways of working that acknowledge the needs, rhythms and intelligence of the more-than-human world. How might we design (with) natural processes rather than against them? What would it mean to design (for) other species and ecosystems, not only for human comfort or efficiency? And how might design evolve (after) recognising that humans are not at the centre, but one voice in a larger ecological conversation?

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Gentler Futures 2024

Towards Urban Self-sufficiency

A glimpse into a future in which urban communities are locally productive, rather than passive consumers, and self-sufficient, rather than dependent on far-away centralised systems.

Through the presentation of experimental and speculative projects and initiatives, the festival celebrates the work of designers, architects, policymakers, researchers and creatives whose goal is shaping (local), (non-linear), (planet-centred), and (post-consumerism) futures.

Venue

Mouraria Creative Hub

Open to the local community and to the general public, this year's festival will be hosted at Mouraria Creative Hub. The embracing and warm space in downtown Lisbon will be the stage of the event's main activities: from talks, workshops and installations, to a food market, dj sets and immersive experiences.

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Program

Activities

Program

Schedule

This year’s Gentler Futures Festival is a 2-day event featuring design, research and architecture projects exploring what it means to design for tomorrow. The program, featuring hands‒on workshops, talks, temporary exhibitions, screenings and live performances, aims to pose questions, launch provocations and inspire new mindsets.

DAY 1

16:00	Workshops
18:00	Talks
21:00	Screenings and performances
ongoing	Exhibition, installations, food, drinks and DJ sets

DAY 2

11:00	Workshops and experiences
14:00	Solar brunch
15:00	Talks
17:00	Workshops and open-mic
19:00	Round table
19:00	Screenings and performances
ongoing	Exhibition, installations, food, drinks, music and DJ sets