Nirvana Studios is an alternative cultural center located in the Oeiras area. Founded by Daniela Sousa, Michel Alex and Rui Gago in 2003. It brings together their shared passion for art and music under one roof. There artists can gather and work on their projects by creating sustainable art, shows, workshops, band music and much more.
Nirvana Studios works towards building a small community that revolves around many types of art: sculpture, painting, music, and musical performance. This location was transformed from a military base that worked during the 1940’s and peaked through the Ultramar war, into a place dedicated to art. The team bought the place when it was just ruins during the 1970’s and made renovations in order not only make it usable but also to reuse most of the existing materials.
Located in Oeiras, Nirvana Studios incorporates material reuse practices into its infrastructure. The space uses repurposed materials such as wood and shipping containers for building studios and workspaces. These solutions help reduce the amount of waste produced while extending the life cycle of the materials used. The choice of this type of construction demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, reflecting a more efficient approach to resource management.
In addition to infrastructure, the old, otherwise useless materials are also used for artistic expression, creating sculptures and installations that challenge conventional norms. Their biggest being the entrance “Nirvana studios” sign, created in 2015 mostly from three hundred broken bicycles that not only make a strong first impression when entering the space but also hides a deeper meaning. The bikes represent the unforgettable memories visitors will gain, because when learning to ride a bike it cannot be forgotten, just like experiencing this alternative place.
Since they are an alternative group, the rest of the Oeiras community does not fully accept their way of living. Even though they are more accepted compared to the past, Nirvana Studios are still not fully accepted to this day. In order to change that they host a yearly open music festival, for free, where they invite people to join them and have fun.
The space contains 100 rehearsal rooms (Band Boxes), inside 23 studios which hosts workshops, artist-in-residence spaces (Custom Ville), and the theater (Custom Café). Consequently, maintenance costs are high, making self-sustainability challenging. Even though they have a steady income from the bands that rent the practice spaces and the regular weekend shows, where the tickets are 20 euros regular, 44 euros with dinner, it is still not enough to sustain the production cost. There are fourteen regular employees at Nirvana studios and other elective workers. Because of all of these expenses they seek co-finances from Oeiras municipality. Will this money be enough to keep the always growing art space alive in the long run?
