“The new type of art institute cannot merely be an art museum as it has been until now, but no museum at all. The new type will be more like a power station, a producer of new energy.” –Alexander Dorner (1893-1957)

And with that, art historian Alexander Dorner sums up Capacete’s ambitions in a nutshell. Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1998, Capacete considers itself to be a kind of a “space/time for multidisciplinary convergence” through what they call a “lounge talk” or salon format. A 19th century idea, this format brought together different people, personalities and professionals to discuss trips, research and activities.

Capacete aims to go beyond that, however. They’re endlessly exploring the parameters for new and creative ways of exchange and inquiry. As noted on their website: “CAPACETE assumes that the most important moments happen in the “in-between spaces” and “in-between times” and so, fluctuating and unstable, therefore unpredictable and uncontrollable. (…) How to build perspectives for exchange of knowledge in a non-linear and non-hierarchical way, continuously?”

Over the past 15 year, the organization has been incredibly active, producing countless artistic projects, residencies, publications and international partnerships. As a participant the 2010 Sao Paulo Biennale, Capacete hosted 83 talks and 25 artist residencies.

In December 2012, founder Helmut Batista generously hosted a number of events (including the introductory dinner shown above) to introduce Vancouver Biennale’s Barrie Mowatt to the many international artists and curators currently in residence at Capacete. Mowatt notes, “These ideas and exchanges will provide a deep well of inspiration for us as we prepare our upcoming 2013-2015 Vancouver Biennale of which we hope Capacete can be an integral part of.”