Sanatório de Mont'Alto
By Miguel Carlos Lima, Mirian Tavares, Luís Teixeira : :
The artistic artefact Memórias do Futuro – Sanatório de Mont’Alto is part of the Cid@d’ART project, which focuses on urban digital photography. It is an intervention that takes place at the Mont’Alto Sanatorium in Valongo, Portugal — a historical site currently in a state of architectural ruin and cultural decay. The work proposes a speculative dialogue with the building’s past, envisioning alternative futures for this abandoned space grounded in principles of ecological sustainability.
The technical–creative methodology involved capturing digital photographs of the sanatorium in its present condition. These images served as the basis for processing through generative artificial intelligence (AI). The process resulted in the creation of 14 short videos depicting visual transformations. For instance, the decayed rooms are reimagined as revitalised environments where nature is reintegrated and features such as vertical gardens and clean energy solutions are made visible.
A unifying element throughout the work is the deliberate inclusion of a plush toy panda, present in every scene. This figure functions as a narrative agent and a universal symbol of environmental conservation and care. The panda acts as a mediator guiding the viewer from the tangible ruin to the virtually reconstructed and ecologically imagined space generated by AI.
The completed work is presented in two primary formats: a non-interactive film of approximately five minutes, and an interactive artefact designed for tablet use. The latter was exhibited in situ, within the chapel of the Mont’Alto Sanatorium itself, with the aim of fostering reflection on abandonment, spatial reuse, and the paradoxes of sustainability in the digital age.
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