Rádio-Estação do Bugio: First Live Broadcast from the Lighthouse

For the first time, Rádio-Estação do Bugio broadcast live from the Bugio Lighthouse, where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean. On 8 and 9 August 2025, the experimental project – lead by Bernardo Gaeiras and Diana Policarpo and part of the Bauhaus of the Seas Sails pilot in Oeiras – transformed the lighthouse into a temporary platform where art, science, and environmental research converged to illuminate the complex dynamics of this unique threshold between river and sea.

Over the course of the broadcasts, live soundscapes and in-depth interviews with scientists, artists, and activists shared knowledge about invisible life forms, intricate ecological processes, and the layered human and natural histories that define the estuary.

More than just a radio station, Rádio-Estação do Bugio is a speculative infrastructure — a site for critical listening and imaginative projection, where nature, technology, and culture intertwined. It invites audiences not only to hear the estuary’s voices, but also to reflect on possible futures of environmental observation, conservation, and collective stewardship.

Rádio-Estação do Bugio

The first day of broadcasting, on 8 August, featured conversations in Portuguese that connected local memories, scientific research, and ecological regeneration practices.

Joaquim Boiça shared his recollections of life at the Bugio Lighthouse, evoking a place where different temporalities and presences converged. Carlos Antunes and our partner Mariana Pestana reflected on the impacts of climate change and the possible futures of Bugio’s shifting coastline, creating a dialogue between ecology and urbanism. Rita Sá and José Pedro Ramião, from WWF Portugal, presented ecological restoration strategies and highlighted the importance of collective action in protecting the estuary. Throughout the day, soundscapes created by Diana Policarpo and Bernardo Gaeiras, both involved in the project’s Oeiras pilot activities, composed from field recordings, bioacoustic compositions, and sounds captured at the lighthouse and in the Tagus estuary, accompanied the discussions.

The second day, 9 August, marked the final summer broadcast before the project’s return in September. The line-up featured Vanda Brotas from MARE – Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, followed by the segment Sediments. Ana Amorim and Lourenço Ribeiro from MARE, University of Lisbon, shared their perspectives, leading into the dialogue piece Common Futures. Aurora Bizarro and João Duarte from the Hydrographic Institute added their insights, and the day closed with Tidal Intermissions, a sonic reflection on tides and transitions.

The project promises to return in September with new transmissions from the Bugio Lighthouse, continuing its exploration of the intersection between nature, technology, and culture.

Rádio-Estação do Bugio took place within the scope of  the Bauhaus of the Seas Sails initiative, in partnership with the Município de Oeiras, ITI LARSyS (Interactive Technologies Institute), and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with support from the Direção de Faróis – Autoridade Marítima Nacional.

Bugio Lighthouse

Bernardo Gaeiras and Diana Policarpo

Bugio Lighthouse