O que pode a arte quando o desastre acontece? artE de pOrtas abErtas: biopolítica e transgressão nas margens do Funchal

This paper seeks to examine the implications and consequences of the natural disaster which took place in Madeira on February 20th 2010 in the construction of the narrative of Funchal by looking at the representation of the event through a series of media articles and artistic objects. Despite the successive bio-political interventions, the Zona Velha of the city was still perceived as a marginal space in need of requalification in 2010 in order not to disturb the safety of the metropolis or in particular, the touristic image of the garden-island, which has supported Madeira’s economy since the nineteenth century. In the aftermath of the events of February 20th, the Zona Velha has been subject to a set of artistic interventions designed to include the requalification plan of the area conceived by political and economic powers. Within this scope, we intend not only to analyze how art contributed (or not) to the results of that bio-political plan but also to understand how the artE de pOrtas abErtas project has tried to reinstate the voices/images of the margin, including the island's natural disasters, in the city’s cultural memory.