MAAT

That stands for Museu de Arte, Arquitectura e Tecnología. We met an old friend from Champaign there. She has been living in the Lisbon area for 4 years but it was only last year that we reconnected. There was a special exhibition of work by Joana Vasconcelos.. She is a Portuguese artist who has won a lot of acclaim for her work. It’s hard to describe, so I’ll let the pictures do the job. Beautiful, whimsical, sparkly, it was a lot of fun. She does with fabric what Chihuly does with glass.

The MAAT is actually two buildings. One is the old coal-powered original electric plant of Lisbon, with all of the machinery still completely in tact. Adjacent to it is a modern white concrete building with curvy lines, and great views from the top. We went through both buildings, and though the electric power plant had tons of explanatory panels, I could not even begin to comprehend how electricity was produced in that building. Some of the machinery was so beautifully ornate that it seemed to be a continuation of the art exhibit.

The museum is right on the river, and there is a great walk/bike path that goes along for miles. It’s a wonderful amenity for city dwellers, and it was really getting a ton of use. After a very long lunch, we said goodbye and made plans for next year’s visit. Maybe.Read more