Spring 2007, Alkantara (the former Danças na cidade) for the first time got a space of its own, given by the city of Lisbon for a period of 12 years. In the building, Alkantara will be creating a new cultural space over the next few years. A meeting place for artists from Portugal and abroad and for the population of Lisbon. Before starting off with bank loans, architectural plans, construction works, equipment lists, organigrams and programming calendars, Alkantara wanted in the context of AR3 to experiment the potential of the space – in the unmarked state it is now – and take some time to think about its possible roles in the local and international arts scene and the cultural life of the city.