Localização: Lisbon, Portugal

Material: Polyethylene fabric

Use: Urban Installation

On Thursday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m., Praça do Município was transformed into a living installation entitled Right to Rest (Direito Ao Descanso), designed by Atelier Backlar and coordinated by the residents’ group Aqui Mora Gente (“People Live Here”). The symbolic action gathered hundreds of residents who, side by side, turned the public square into a collective dormitory — a gesture both vulnerable and defiant, denouncing the overload and fatigue of urban life. One hundred and twelve (112) golden emergency blankets covered the square, reflecting the city’s light and symbolizing an exhausted community. The number was not chosen at random: 112 is also Europe’s emergency number — a visual call from a society that needs to restore balance between productivity and well-being. “A city that doesn’t rest becomes unsustainable,” the event’s manifesto reminded. “Physical and visual noise undermines education, emotional balance, the economy, culture, and social cohesion. Inhabitants need stimuli that foster silence, tranquility, and moments of pause, essential conditions for human and collective flourishing.”

Photography: Artur Carvalho