A new museum dedicated to exploring contemporary culture through visual art, architecture, technology and science is due to open in Lisbon, Portugal, on 5 October. The Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia (Maat) is directed by Pedro Gadanho, the former curator of contemporary architecture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The institution will be spread across two buildings along the river Tagus. The first is the recently renovated Tejo power station, which previously housed the Museum of Electricity and still contains the heavy machinery that once powered the city. The second is the new main building, which boasts a sweeping design by the British firm AL_A that mimics the nearby river. In addition to developing a collection of Portuguese art, the museum will host exhibitions of international contemporary art and commission site-specific works. The first of these is Pynchon Park, an installation by the French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster based on a dystopian fairytale (until 12 March). Maat is funded by the EDP Foundation, the non-profit arm of the energy company Energias de Portugal.
