The Invisible City – Cartography(ies) of Daily Routes

TransFemina: Soundwalk at Campanhã Station
June 29, 2025
Porto, Portugal

On June 29 at Campanhã Station in Porto, we invited the public to an immersive and performative sound experience, the result of a creative process activated at the Porto Local Lab. This work was developed from the mapping of “daily routes,” a real, emotional, and imaginary record of what we see, hear, and feel in public space — as well as what we do not see, do not hear, and do not feel — as we inhabit the city in our everyday lives.

This inquiry was explored creatively throughout the sessions, researching and challenging the ways our bodies occupy public space: through presence, movement, care, disruption... We experimented with vulnerability and empathy as poetic and transformative forces of spaces and the relationships between human and more-than-human communities, creating new narratives and imaginaries — new ways of being, existing, resisting, and desiring collectively.

How does my perception of space change when walking at night or during the day? What do I carry along the way? How do I encounter others? In what ways? How do I feel when I stop, when I move? What catches my attention? What do I miss?

On June 29, there were two presentations: one at 6:00 PM and another at 8:00 PM. The experience was held in Portuguese and recommended for ages 12 and up.

The TransFemina Soundwalk is a PELE creation supported by IP – Infraestruturas de Portugal, STCP – Porto Public Transport Company, and the Bonfim Parish Council.

Photos by Carolina Ribeiro and Paulo Pimenta.