AXA goodbye, hello Montepio: culture remains on the Avenida dos Aliados – publico

                 

                         
                     

                 

 
 

The Port House wants to say goodbye to a great AXA building in Avenida dos Aliados, which for 32 months has been occupied by various activities (and entities) artistic. The party start was scheduled for 16 hours of 28 November, but this should last for 12 consecutive hours, extending the morning of the 29th the same end-of-week that says goodbye to AXA, marking the official return to its owners, the municipality presents the new building also on the promenade, which will host the kind of activities that occupied the AXA. It is in the old building of Montepio, across the street. In the last end-of-week of November he presents himself to the public with the completion of Up Street Porto.

In a statement, Council of Porto classifies the occupation of AXA as “a success”, arguing that quickly building “has emerged as one of the main anchors of animation of the Allies, emerging as a premier host space of events and artistic and creative production, with the ability to infect the entire Lower Porto.” Beads made, passed the seven AXA floors of 300 free events, which called for “close to half a million visitors,” many of whom developed by the associations and companies that settled there in artistic residencies, as Balleteatro (which however was transferred to Coliseum), the Porta-Jazz, ACE -. School of Arts, the NEC (Choreographic Experimentation Center) or Shortcutz

The party scheduled by the local authority provides music, performances and installations, on all floors AXA and also on their balconies and in front of the building that will eventually be transformed into a hotel. The program starts at 16h, with the Golden Score performance, played by 139 students, who will occupy the entire facade.

And while the portuenses say goodbye AXA, the municipal company Porto Lazer, responsible for boosting this space presents the city the “replacement” of the building. Just cross the street and go to the old dependence on Montepio, which opens its new facet with doing another edition of Up Street Porto – Urban art market. Doors open between 16h and midnight of Saturday, November 28, and between 16h and 23h on Sunday, the 29th, Montepio will have works of various street performers, a collector’s showcase Idiot Mag 2015 and various workshops, in which the persons concerned may apply through the arteurbana@portolazer.pt email.

According to a source of authority, the occupation of Montepio will be “indefinite” and does not include the whole building . “It’s a different space that fits the needs that at this point the Porto Lazer has to maintain presence in Lower and will have a schedule very dedicated to urban art,” said Nuno Santos, chairman of the deputy chamber, Rui Moreira .

The old Montepio building was the first headquarters of cultural promotion project 1st Avenue , which eventually carried over to the AXA at ​​a later stage and thus beginning to set activities which remained until October of this year. Although the protocol between the camera and the AXA insurance company provide for the building occupancy, at least until the end of December, the end of the activities was anticipated after the owners decide to put the building up for sale.

entities that were installed in the AXA will now move to the Montepio, no deadline for the moment output. “When they put us off, we will be glad, because it will signal that a use was found for another building that was vacant,” says Nuno Santos.