underen

Mónica de Miranda

Personal Urbanisms

«From Brick Lane, through Toxteth in Sarcelles, to Lisbon, immigrants will create their own urban worlds, their personal urbanisms.»

The art project of Mónica de Miranda presents from her own biographies of multiple cultural heritages and the question of other utbanisms: the underconstruction urbanisms. Territories and geographical locations that are changing and creating constant redefinitions of culture and identity.

“My artistic work is not confined to occupy the space of art objects, but is defined in a space that reflects on myself and provides a language that has the intention to create a critical dialogue with reality. It is defined in a place of circuits and transits between different spaces, time and cultural systems, resulting in an exploitation of issues such as transnationalism, new migration flows, cultural globalization and post-colonialism. It is a reflection on the issues that migration poses, including the establishment of transcultural identities, new social spaces, new territories of geographies in transfromation and in the breaking of boundaries.

I want to create a space in which migratory flows and transnational realities are seen as a diverse and multi-faceted reality, as a creative platform for opportunities and a place of transit for personal, social and cultural changes.

The work for the underconstruction exhibition will consist of photos and videos and installations that challenges the dynamics of urban spaces in relation to concepts of identity and culture. The work will be a portrait of emotional dimensions of the urban space, with its size to represent states of being, being and belonging.

It is an artistic project of urban intervention, that searches the communication between socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the city, through a creative program of contemporary art, education and social integration with youth and adults in collaboration with artists. This project approaches to issues related to the environment, immigration and dislocation, to the territory, Urbanism, and personal and cultural geographies. The project is intended to develop cultural, artistic, personal and identity exchange.

Sofia Borges & Vasco Coelho

“Era produtor de mim próprio”

“Era produtor de mim próprio” is a video 
 directer under d`A Festa Acabou (the party is over), project that happens in the Victoria Neighborhood since 2006 with the aim of collecting information abouth the history and actuality of the neighborhood, for together with the residents define the cartography of the neighborhood.

The Victoria Neighborhood is not in the main city maps. It as about 40 years and is currently being demolished. When we started this project many residents had left the neighborhood, now live in the neighborhood, those under the PER and awaiting for resettlement.

“Era produtor de mim próprio” is a document about the history of the neighborhood since the construction of the first homes, through the most significant moments, such as the installation of electricity and water in the neighborhood, the impact of demolition and the expectation of relocation against the habits and customs lived in the neighborhood, particularly the relationship and the emotional connection with the land through the cultivation of gardens that serve the residents survival.
Credits: “Eu era produtor de mim próprio” (2008); 
 approx.13 minutes; directed by Sofia Borges; Set-up by Rui Viana and Sofia Borges, sound blending by Rui Viana, production 
 by d`A Festa Acabou; collaboration 
 of Vasco Coelho, Marta 
 Carvalho, António Gadanha and residents of theVictoria Neighborhood.

José Carlos Teixeira

DEVIATION and CONSEQUENCE, towards a new (r)evolution

DEVIATION and CONSEQUENCE, towards a new (r)evolution, is a video installation that works as the remake of IT’S OK (united), #1#2#3, three steps to a (r)evolution. If the previous project, finished in 2006, presented a critical approach to the western cultural and educational system (with emphasis on the North-American case) – and where notions of assertiveness, security, power, and control were deconstructed through new lyrics applied to the American anthem – the Portuguese version departures from the same premises.

The video consists of two simultaneous projections, side by side, showing the co-creation process of new phrases for the national song: the protagonists of such action are African-Portuguese, and the main scenario is the Cova da Moura neighborhood, in Lisbon. During twenty-two minutes, in a both artistic and documental tone, themes related to identity, otherness, displacement, cultural difference, the feeling of exile and/or belonging, are revealed and intensified.

In the new trans-national anthem, the lyrics make visible what each one of the performers feel and think of the hosting culture. In the words of João Pinharanda, “[we] get closer to a version of the A Portuguesa, from its interpretation, understanding, and distortion by members of the African emigrants community, who attempt to sing it by introducing in the words and rhythm literal and emotional significations, reasons from other identities and temporalities.”

Constituted as a space for entertainment, game and irony, DEVIATION and CONSEQUENCE, towards a new (r)evolution, reaches above all political and socio-cultural dimensions, committed to the construction of a collective speech by all of the portrayed people.

Excerpts of texts by Antero de Quental, Fernando Pessoa, and José Gil are an integral part of the installation, intellectually re-focusing the video, and contextualizing ideas about Portugal endlessly repeated and maintained.

Artur Moreira

“that´s one small step for men, one giant leap for mankind”