Lisbon under stars revives Portuguese history in Carmo ruins

The presentation, on May 2nd, opened the immersive season that runs until July 17th telling the story of the church that suffered from the earthquake and fire in 1755 and that, without a roof, opens up to the starry sky.

The ruins of the church are the canvas on which the show is projected and witness to several moments of the history of Portugal.

As the images succeed, sometimes lighting up the sky, sometimes darkening and causing immense sadness with the works of art that fall during the earthquake scene, colours surround the audience and there is no way to be indifferent to the show. It is a total experience. Images succeed, colours overlap, music inebriates and the story follows alive and reviving the walls as if at any moment the church ceiling would rebuild before the guests' eyes.

Uniqueness and creative commitment

Lisbon Under Stars originated in Ocubo's sensitivity and their belief that cultural projects can contribute to tourism, citizen education and help telling a story. Starting with a zero budget, but with the desire to combine creative power with technology, Lisbon Under Stars was created, even without a client to sponsor it, for the European Year of Cultural Heritage, and found in the Carmo Convent the perfect venue to tell the Portuguese story. The audience responded with massive presence and the show impacted in its first phase, in 2018, for two months, more than 30 thousand people, an average of 600 visitors per day.

The projections combine images, dance, music, colours and a narrated history are the result of hours of filming. The musicians were filmed live and then digitally placed in the film for the audience to watch their virtual performance along with the eight dancers who played several moods along the film, related to the Portuguese history.