21-12-2023
The finissage of the exhibition "Utopias of the Near Future: Lisbon and Almada in the Year 2100" occurred on December 14th in an intimate ceremony at the Library's Preguiçódromo. During this event, a "time capsule" was sealed for the future overseer of the school, containing an exhibition catalog and a letter from NOVA FCT's current Dean, José Júlio Alferes.
Following a brief introduction to the initiative by the exhibition's curator, Maria Paula Diogo, a DCSA professor, it was the School Dean's turn to address the participants' curiosity about the communication's contents. With some irony, he began by emphasizing he had resisted the temptation to write this letter without using AI, something that "might seem strange to you, who are reading this in 2073."
José Júlio Alferes also pointed out that "as the School is being rethought to continue along the path of excellence in teaching and research, it would be fascinating to see how our visions have materialized when my successor has the opportunity to read this letter."Regarding his view of today's society, he highlighted the conflicts spreading in various parts of the world and the role that educational institutions play in promoting universal values, emphasizing that "We are living in a time of war in Europe, marked by exclusionary tendencies and a possible global crisis."
The aim of this initiative is to enable the Dean of the Faculty in 2073 to compare the visions of today with the reality of the future. Thus, the challenged was launched for the future head of the Faculty to organize an exhibition and a new "time capsule" to "continue the handover to the future. In this way, it will be possible to connect the various pasts, presents, and futures of NOVA FCT," concluded the present Dean.
