'City of Sounds' at the Palace

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In June, the foyer of the Triennale's cultural centre at the Palácio Sinel de Cordes was transformed to host the 'City of Sounds' exhibition. This was an experiment in collective imagination, in which preschool children created metropolises from recyclable materials, inspired by the tactile illustrated book A House is a Mountain is a Hat, produced by the Lisbon Triennale.

Phrases such as "A house protects from the rain", "A house keeps you warm" and "A house is a family home" accompanied the construction of colourful buildings, streets, gardens and transportation. The cities came to life through photographs of pupils who became the 'neighbourhood' in the windows. The children's imagination created a city for everyone.

This activity forms part of the 'ABC Sounds of Crescer' initiative in São Vicente, organised by the Parish Council in collaboration with the Gil Vicente and Patrício Prazeres School Groups, as well as the pre-school classes at the Santa Clara Primary School (4 cities) and the Rosa Lobato Faria Primary School (2 cities).

According to the council, the initiative, which has been running since 2017, "aims to promote the development of phonological awareness, which is an essential skill for acquiring reading and writing skills."

This was the first year that it crossed the school gates and was shown to the general public.

To mark this milestone, the Triennale, represented by executive director Manuel Henriques and educational projects manager Joana Martins, presented the São Vicente Parish Council with 50 copies of the book A House is a Mountain is a Hat, as part of the partnership between the two organisations.

Accessible book 

A House is a Mountain is a Hat features bright colours, large print, embossing, tactile illustrations and Braille text, allowing children to see, read, feel and experience it in various ways – much like architecture itself.