Interactive Center of Montado

The Montado, a cultural landscape in southern Portugal's Tagus Valley, epitomizes the intricate relationship between humanity and the environment. Originally Mediterranean woodlands, the Montado now features cork oaks and holm oaks, protected species that thrive in challenging conditions. Shaped by centuries of cultural influences, including Christian-Arab conflicts and feudal rule, the Montado's sustainable agro-silvo-pastoral system preserves traditional knowledge and settlement patterns.
Covering over a million hectares, the Montado mitigates desertification through its diverse ecosystem, supporting flora and fauna like the imperial eagle and Iberian lynx. Its economic vitality stems from activities such as cork production and free-range pig farming, rooted in historical tradition. The Montado's resilience lies in its blend of ecological harmony and economic efficiency, sustained by generations of local communities.
Recognized for its cultural significance, the Montado bears witness to centuries of cultural exchange, reflected in its architecture, literature, cuisine, and artisanal practices. Despite modernization pressures, it remains a dynamic landscape where tradition and innovation coexist.
Unloop developed a concept of an exposition for Montado Interactive Center that offers immersive educational experiences, highlighting humanity's impact on the landscape and inspiring ecological regeneration. By bridging the past, present, and future, it underscores the Montado's enduring relevance and invites visitors to contemplate its timeless beauty and significance.

In the room of the past, this Audiovisual Installation offers a journey back in time. The majestic cork oak tree, a central piece of the installation represents its cultural and natural significance in the ecosystem of the region. Centuries-old, they are authentic living archives. In the middle of a dimly lit room, its roots projected onto the floor expanding across the room as authentic tentacles, a mesmerizing sight.
As visitors approach the tree, ambient sounds change, revealing the stories of people and animals of the Montado, immersing in the tree's ecosystem. By leaning against the tree's rugged bark, visitors unlock its secret memories — stories of love, labor, passion, and tradition, stories that were never heard before.
Cameras track visitors' movements, enhancing the immersive experience with visual effects. This innovative installation blends technology with nature, and creates a multisensory experience, allowing visitors to connect with the past of the region and its cultural and natural heritage.

The Montado's biodiversity and balance are crucial for its survival, but human actions can disrupt this equilibrium.
In the Room of Present, visitors are invited to interact with an artistic installation that represents the Natural Balance of the Montado. This installation highlights the delicate correlation of different factors in its ecosystem, emphasizing its importance for preserving native species, as well as regulation of CO2 levels, and prevention from desertification.
The artistic installation is made of a variety of elements representing the rich Montado ecosystem: different species of flora and fauna, utensils, products produced in the region, etc.
The main goal of this installation is to show visitors how fragile this ecosystem is and that any even tiny decision can make a huge impact.
Using an interactive screen, visitors adjust parameters that influence the ecosystem of Montado and like that manipulate suspended cork oak pieces, in order to find the perfect balance.

MECHANICS:
1. Within this experience the visitor is invited to bring the balance to Montado.
2. By changing different parameters the visitor influences the artistic installation: number of wild species, livestock, population, intensive cultivation, irrigation, etc.
3. Once the perfect balance between different parameters is achieved, suspended physical elements align in the correct positions, creating a three-dimensional image of the symbol of the Montado: a Cork Oak.

Within the space are strategically placed interactive displays enabling visitors to explore the richness and complexity of the Montado. The objective is to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of the its ecological importance and its role in shaping the landscape and culture of the Alentejo region.

This final room is a culmination of the visitor's journey, designed to captivate and leave a lasting impression. Through immersive visual and sensory experiences, visitors will feel transported into the heart of the Montado. The immersive experience, portrays a day in the middle of it, from sunrise to sunset, showcasing its diverse species, sounds, and scents.
Emphasizing the importance of balance in nature, the interactive exhibit dynamically adapts to the number of visitors, symbolizing the delicate equilibrium between the ecosystem and humanity. The backdrop of cereal fields recalls the Alentejo's landscape, further enhancing the immersive experience. With interactive projections and simulated elements like sound, scent, and wind, visitors will leave feeling as though they've spent a day in the middle of Montado, enriched by its beauty and significance.

CONCEPT & DIRECTION – Helder da Rocha Pereira
CREATIVE DIRECTION – Arina Zhumasheva
3D PRODUCTION – Aleksei Kurilov, Antonino Atanasio
DESIGN – Arina Zhumasheva