Collective Reading Performance - Between Struggle and Flow

Event hosted in English

There are many cities within a city. Cities shape both our feelings and our thinking, being a constant shared, lived experience rather than just a physical place. In this collective reading performance, we engage with a chorus of voices and perspectives on urban dwelling—drawing from diverse texts that explore how cities shape experience, desire, technology, and everyday life. Werner Herzog confronts us with nature and obsession, while Alain de Botton reflects on perception and travel, questioning if we can ever fulfill our desire to escape. Ben Green critiques technology-driven urbanism, where AI and LLMs (Large Language Models) risk overwhelming our lived experience. Charles Montgomery turns toward optimism, imagining cities that support wellbeing for humans, animals and the natural world, and Jan Gehl draws attention to the life between buildings — the everyday gestures, encounters, and shared spaces that quietly shape collective life.

Amid conflict, contemplation, and design, how can we find our voice and engage with the city as our own?

About your hosts:

Diana Soeiro (PhD) is a researcher, consultant, and author with postdoctoral experience in sustainable and smart cities and communities, active in science communication, and contributor as book critic, festival curator, and exhibition curator and text writer for projects including Time Out Lisboa, the Arquiteturas Film Festival (Lisbon), and Burning With Desire (SCOPE BLN, Berlin).

Eduardo Abrantes (PhD) is a sound artist and postdoctoral researcher exploring intersections of art, technology, and ecology. Based in Copenhagen since 2009, he creates performances, sound installations, and performative lectures worldwide, using sonic and bodily strategies to activate spaces and narratives. He teaches Performance Design and Cultural Studies at Roskilde University and the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and collaborates on research-creation projects with artistic and scientific institutions, with recent work focused on the Finnish archipelago.

What to expect from this event?

A reading circle with a twist: all the sharing, discussion, and thinking aloud you love—expanded through movement, voice, and presence. We’ll read together and out loud, listen in unexpected ways, and explore choreographies that turn reading into an embodied experience. Audience participation is at the heart of it: your voice, your steps, your thoughts will shape the rhythm. 

What do you need to bring?

No requirements, all are welcome. Bring your lived experience, your curiosity, your sense of humor, and your willingness to share and learn. In short: everyone is invited, come as you are!

Who is this event for?

More than a theme, this is an invitation to inhabit text differently - relevant not only for those curious about cities, but for anyone interested in performative, multisensory approaches to reading. 

Tickets for the event?

The event is free of charge, but registration is mandatory so we can prepare for the number of participants. If you wish, you’ll have the option to make a voluntary donation to Associação Zoófila Portuguesa (AZP).

Please arrive on time! The reading performance follows a set sequence - late arrivals can disrupt the flow. Once the space reaches capacity, no further entry is possible. Seating is first-come, first-served.

The Venue

Good Company Books is an independent English Bookstore in Lisbon. Born from our love of global literature and our Portuguese heritage, we are crafting a space for people of all backgrounds to gather and enjoy the best books, events, coffee, and wine. Find out more on our Instagram.