No encontro entre urbanismo, estudos culturais e antropologia urbana, conecto minhas raízes amazônicas a diálogos globais, por meio da pesquisa, prática artística e experimentação sonora.
Biography
Natalia Figueredo is a Latin Amazonian woman from Belém (northern Brazil), based in Barcelona (Spain).
As an architect and urban planner (Escola da Cidade – Brazil) and cultural theorist (Goldsmiths, University of London – UK), she chose not to follow conventional construction practice, but to engage deeply in research and communication, contributing to critical debates on urbanism.
Currently pursuing a PhD at the Department of Anthropology, University of Barcelona, her research focuses on the materialisation of the built environment in urban Amazonia and i its interaction with unique sociabilities, particularly in the city of Belém.
Natalia is a member of OACU (Observatori d’Antropologia del Conflicte Urbà), an international collective dedicated to the study of urban life and its conflicts, which promotes critical research on the social consequences of urbanisation through dialogue between anthropology, sociology, architecture, urbanism, art, and geography.
As an associate researcher with the Sonic Street Technologies project, she investigates how cultural expressions — particularly music and sonic technologies — shape and reflect social dynamics in the Global South. Her work in this field includes publications in specialised journals and contributions to lectures and panel discussions at national and international events.
She is the founder of Lab Igarité, a collaborative studio for research and creation operating between architecture, art, and urbanism, with a focus on Global South geographies and Amazonian imaginaries.
Over the years, she has collaborated with educational institutions and communities across Latin America and Europe through academic and artistic projects. At times, she also performs as a DJ, using sound as a tool for connection, celebration, and social reflection.
Areas of Activity
Natalia Figueredo works at the intersection of urbanism, cultural studies and urban anthropology. Her focus is on critical ecology, decolonial thought and feminisms, challenging dominant conceptions of territory, knowledge and power.
Researcher
Academic research — design and development of studies using qualitative and quantitative methodologies on culture, territory and urban practices. Publications in Dancecult, Quaderns de l’Institut Català d’Antropologia, CCCB Lab and Afropean.
Ethnographic research — investigation of social and spatial dynamics, including fieldwork with riverside communities in urban Amazonia and analysis of cultural practices linked to aparelhagens (Amazonian sound systems).
Urban cartographies — experience in mapping and territorial analysis. Author of the Sonic Map -Aparelhagens, and currently developing cartographies on urban dynamics along the rivers of Belém within her doctoral research Margins and Moviments.
Mediation of participatory processes — experience in facilitating dialogue and engaging diverse social actors in urbanism and architecture projects with practices such as Mixite and Equal Saree (Catalonia), integrating local knowledge into urban planning practices.
Education and teaching — taught at institutions including IAAC, Escola da Cidade and EINA, with a focus on Latin American urbanism, feminisms and decolonial methodologies. Experience delivering courses, workshops and masterclasses in academic and cultural contexts.
Events and Talks
Knowledge transfer — speaker and mediator at conferences, universities and festivals (Festival Motins, MIT-Brazil Amazonia, ZIGURAT Summit, Conservatori del Liceu, Stroom Den Haag), developing methodologies that make research accessible to diverse audiences.
Intercultural collaboration — fluent in Brazilian Portuguese (native), Spanish (C1), Catalan (C1) and English (C1), with experience in international projects across Latin America and Europe in multilingual and multicultural contexts.
Multidisciplinary Artist
Artistic experimentation — creation of installations, performances and multimedia narratives as spaces of aesthetic and critical exploration (Geografias Sonoras, CCCB; Cultivar Cidades, 14th São Paulo Architecture Biennale).
Sound practices — DJ work, research and creation of musical archives.
Current Projects and Collaborations
Artistic and Curatorial Practice
2025 – ongoing — Co-creator and author of the project Cultivar Cidades, presented at the 14th São Paulo Architecture Biennale.
Installation presenting an Amazonian speculative narrative that uses fiction as a tool to imagine urban futures.
2025 – ongoing — Narrative collaborator, Architecture-in-Development.
Member of a global network dedicated to socially engaged architecture and alternative urban practices.
Academic Work and Teaching
2022 – in progress — PhD project Margins and Movement, currently focused on riverside cartographies, with advanced use of tools such as QGIS.
2024 – ongoing — Lecturer, IAAC – Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
Teaching courses on contemporary urban challenges in Latin America, with emphasis on feminist and decolonial methodologies.
Research and Writing
2023 – ongoing — Researcher, Sonic Street Technologies (Goldsmiths, University of London).
Developing the book chapter *TREME: a dialogue between dance and sonic technology in the aparelhagens, analysing how vibration, body and space intersect in this Amazonian cultural phenomenon.
2025 — COP30, Belém.
Residency in Belém until December 2025, accompanying COP30 activities with a focus on processes of mobilisation and grassroots organisation.
Natalia Figueredo é uma mulher latino-amazônica de Belém (norte do Brasil), radicada em Barcelona (Espanha).
Arquiteta, urbanista (Escola da Cidade – Brasil) e teórica da cultura (Goldsmiths, University of London – UK), escolheu não construir, mas se aprofundar em processos de comunicação, pesquisa e difusão, contribuindo para o pensamento crítico sobre as cidades.
Atualmente desenvolve doutorado no Departamento de Antropologia da Universidade de Barcelona, onde pesquisa a materialização do ambiente construído na Amazônia urbana e suas relações com diferentes formas de sociabilidade, com foco na cidade de Belém.