The Museum of Image and Sound (MIS-RJ) on Rio de Janeiro's waterfront opens to the public on May 8 after 16 years of development. The 10,000-sq.-m building, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, features eight floors with panoramic views of Copacabana Beach and a façade honoring Roberto Burle Marx. The project faced multiple delays, funding suspensions, and controversy over urban redevelopment, including backlash when a nightclub on the site was demolished in 2010. Work resumed in 2021, and the $62.5 million museum was completed with public and private funds from donors like Itaú, Vale, and Rede Globo.
This opening matters because MIS-RJ is expected to become a national landmark and a cultural legacy for Brazil, housing a collection of over 650,000 audiovisual objects, artworks, and archives of iconic Brazilian artists and musicians. The museum's completion after years of political and economic setbacks signals a commitment to bolstering cultural institutions in Rio de Janeiro. Its focus on digital accessibility and contemporary cultural production ensures ongoing relevance, while the project's history highlights tensions between urban development and social displacement in the city.