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ARchITECTURe

custom coffee

(2012)

Custom Café

Former army hangar transformed into a theater by the company Custom Circus, this project was stopped several times over 8 years due to financial issues.

This mysterious theater doomed to not exist, was finally inaugurated in 2012 with the show Le Cabaret Rock, intensive production witch received over 40 thousand spectators within 2 consecutive years, signing thus the residence of this former nomadic troupe.

Its interior ambience transcends conventional theaters and the transition of the company’s underground imaginarium to this venue was the upcoming of a real and intimate story. The scenographyc contour plunges the visitor in DieselPunk, Bizarre Chic and SteamPunk aesthetics.

diner 1903

(2013)

Diner.jpg

This Diner recreates a nostalgic trading post station and was built around a J.C.Brill 1903 tramway witch worked 90 years in Portugal under the nº332. This heroic 17 Tons tramway witnessed the Monarchy, the Republic, the great WW I, the New State, the WWII, the Portuguese de-colonisation, the April 25 Revolution, the CEE and the UE, making is last trip in 1996.

Around 2013 this industrial revolution veteran was in an advance degradation shape and by meanings of its preservation the Oeiras City Hall accepted Custom Circus proposal to save this vehicle. All the process was done and financed by the troupe with the goal that more generations can take part of the spectacular history of nº332 and his companion, forged by the same hands over a Century ago, the nº333 parked nearby and restored as the Nirvana Studios Rock Shop.

Link:  360º View 

s.t.r.a.n.g.e. GALLERY

(2006)

Galeria Strange

The name of this venue emerged as a reactive phenomenon from the very artists themselves linking those terms: Active Trans-disciplinary Synergies, Naked Arts and Experimental Gallery.

This former heavy artillery hangar was the first Custom Circus indoor theater at Nirvana Studios. Between 2004 and 2011 here reigned the chaos from the Post Apocalypse shows performed by the troupe. Most of these shows occurred simultaneously on the Nirvana Boulevard and inside the hangar, forcing the spectators to dodge the theatrical vehicles witch appeared during the scenes.

Between shows many installations and troupe’s scenographies and mechanisms were produced here, among movies, plastic arts and conceptual events. In 2012 the company moved to Custom Café allowing the hangar to be 100% dedicated to the STRANGE mission whom directed hundreds of productions and events.

In 2019 the venue will harbor a new pioneering project from the company: a theme performative theater called “Discover the Surprising World of Custom Circus” witch will allow the public to visit, sense and experiment in a safe way several performances of the troupe.

raus human portico

(2014)

Raus Portico

This installation sits as the Nirvana Studios main entrance portico. The central arch was totally built with stage truss as a representation of performance arts, while as tribute to the members of the Alternative Cultural Center’s community a collective installation was developed formed from more than 250 broken bicycles.

Why? Because riding a bike is something we never forget! And Custom Circus will never forget their Supporters, Public, Clients and Residents.

nirvana boulevard

(2005)

Boulevard.jpg

Right on the entry of the Alternative Cultural Center starts Nirvana Boulevard, the area where are installed the majority of the studios.

This main street was enlarged more than the triple by the troupe and works as the spinal cord of the community as well as its time capsule. In the 40’s the Boulevard was just a narrow path for the army trucks loaded with bombs to be stocked in this well hidden fort we know today as Nirvana Studios. But here rests a troupe’s testimony:

“In December 2003 this compound was for sale, then we stopped our trucks here as we felt some kind of good vibe around the place witch attracted us. This ruin saw Constelation aircrafts shine in the sky, listened to Amália on an AM radio, watched the Abril 25 Revolution on a black & white TV and after so many, many stories it ended up being abandoned by the time Portuguese New Wave was ragging.

We peek through the rusty fence, as children do in a candy store, and it was love at first sight! We bought the place with all the mortgages we could contract and few weeks after, here we were! 30 psychos with the mission to resurrect and restore all these hangars! Not for war but for art. In a few months this phantom street was reborn thanks to the troupe’s people. Now this place sees the Airbus shine in the sky, listen to Amália on a cellphone APP or the news on the web and after so many, many stories, maybe someday it will get to be a phantom fort again. Although this is nearly the same we tell children every time they ask us frightened when the Sun is going to die. Gee, don’t you worry about that! It will be a very, very long time…”

Link:  Video Nirvana Studios 

custom village

(2017)

Custom Ville.jpg

Utopia is like Art, changes according to each one of us. Why not built conceptual houses like a show, where everything is nothing else but a décor?

The exterior of this island of bungalows was built around Upcycling & Road Culture architecture, while the interiors recreate the Spartan mood from Custom Circus classic trucks and caravans.

Custom Ville is dedicated to those who live aside of the banal day to day comfort, people without monotony roots and lots of rich life experiences.

artexpress

(2008)

ArtExpress

Massive structure built with 20 former Army containers and 2 Custom Circus theatrical old trucks linked together in a long convoy, harboring 60 Band projects, stock areas for tours and the Nirvana Studios Wall of Fame.

Link Wall of Fame:

 www.nirvana.pt/murodafama 

cargo station

(2015)

Cargo Station

This odd porch connects studio 01 and 02 harboring a small outdoor gallery with lots of stories. It was built in an imaginary fashion to recreate the original zone, long gone, where military trucks cargo control and identification took place in the heydays of this old fort.

bus stop

(2014)

Bus Stop

In daily use, this installation is a real bus stop offered by Custom Circus to the Bus Company Vimeca and passengers. It was assembled from part of a livestock container, a movie studio van from the 50’s, two 19th Century tramway light boxes and lots of obsolete road transportation related items welded together.

check point

(2016)

Check Point

Integrated within the UR project, an architectonic upcycling movement created by Nirvana Studios, this structure frames four metallic containers in a contour made of recycled wood.

The major process of construction followed a philosophy of revaluation and reuse of obsolete materials in an eco-architectonic way.

rock shop

(2016)

Rock Shop

Gigolo Dance, the name of the Rock Shop, is a music dedicated to the nearby dissolution of Custom Circus, although it went to baptize the most controversial show of the company.

 Music Gigolo Dance 

This emblematic store is also Custom Café’s ticket booth and was built in a J.C.Brill 1903 tramway witch worked 90 years in Portugal under the nº333. This heroic 17 Tons tramway witnessed the Monarchy, the Republic, the great WW I, the New State, the WWII, the Portuguese Decolonisation, the April 25 Revolution, the CEE and the UE, making is last trip in 1996.

Around 2013 this industrial revolution veteran was in an advance degradation shape and by meanings of its preservation the Oeiras City Hall accepted Custom Circus proposal to save this vehicle. All the process was done and financed by the troupe with the goal that more generations can take part of the spectacular history of nº333 and his companion, forged by the same hands over a Century ago, the nº332 parked nearby and restored as the Nirvana Studios Diner.

Link:  Rock Shop Merchandise 

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