NOVA University of Lisbon inaugurated on September 10 the NOVA Mafra Hub – Music, Art and Technology, a space dedicated to research, training, technological innovation and artistic creation, developed in partnership with the Municipality of Mafra. The new hub is installed in the Torreão Sul of the National Palace of Mafra, integrated in the Royal Building of Mafra, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO since 2019.
The project has music as its main area of intervention, combining scientific research, heritage, technology and artistic creation. The hub is integrated in the NOVA Institute of Art and Technology, which brings together areas of the arts, humanities, science and technology, and will have specialized laboratories, including the Musical Acoustics Laboratory, the Musical Computing Laboratory and the HEDGE Lab, dedicated to the application of digital technologies to the preservation of cultural heritage.
Rector Paulo Pereira stated that the project aims to bring Mafra's historical heritage closer to new forms of research and creation, arguing that music should be seen simultaneously as heritage and as creation. The mayor of Mafra, Hugo Moreira Luís, considered the project strategic for the municipality, highlighting Mafra's historical connection to music through its historic organs, carillons and philharmonic bands.
The concentration of these areas will enable the development of courses, workshops, masterclasses and other specialized training initiatives, as well as cultural programming aimed at the community. The new hub aims to establish itself as a meeting space between music and heritage, research and creation, science and art, university and society.
