Despojos da Torre de Babel and O Cubo are two interactive installations – Imaginarius Creations that you can visit and explore at Quinta do Castelo, during the 20th edition of Imaginarius – International Street Theatre Festival of Santa Maria da Feira, which will start next Thursday, the 27th, until 30 May
The two interactive installations took shape by exploring the theme of this edition of Imaginarius – “The Myth and the Brand”. “Despojos da Torre de Babel”, by Alexandra Couto and Paulo Pimenta, is based on the “Myth” about the origin of the different languages of the world to make known the migrant community of Santa Maria da Feira, affirming the word as an aesthetic material of particular potential for the urban landscape. “O Cubo”, by Elisabete Sousa and Diogo Martins, exalts the Imaginarius “Brand” to trigger the public’s visual and sound memories that the festival has been leaving over its 20 years.
Among the trees at Quinta do Castelo, the public will get to know the most aesthetic version of this project – Despojos da Torre de Babel: a word in the native language of each immigrant who participated in this “discovery”, a short text about the history of these families and an note referring to the project’s website, where the personal stories that justify the special meaning of these words in the lives of their protagonists are revealed, in Portuguese and English, with the degree of detail allowed by the experience or modesty of each one. The photographs portray their daily lives, show contrasts that persist despite acculturation, and expose similarities that remain despite the change in latitude.
The migrants at the base of the Despojos da Torre de Babel project are from 11 foreign territories – Italy, Angola, Brazil, Spain, Syria, China, Venezuela, Ukraine, France, Romania and Cyprus – and made themselves known in an informal and familiar register stories, The stories portrayed in these “Remnants of the Tower of Babel” are unique, special and remarkable.
O Cubo is an interactive multimedia installation. A living and reactive organism, made up of organic and technological materials, to which are added visual and sound memories of Imaginarius, triggered by the interaction with the public. A representation of the city-territory and the body-territory, both in constant reproduction, regeneration and growth. O Cubo is a true time capsule that invites you on a journey through the 20 years of Imaginarius – Santa Maria da Feira International Street Theatre Festival.
The installations Despojos da Torre de Babel and O Cubo can be visited on 27 and 28 May, during the afternoon, and on 29 and 30 May, during the whole day. Visits are free of charge, but require a prior registration you can make at bol.pt.
The Municipality of Santa Maria da Feira herby invites you to be present at the official opening of Imaginarius, on 27 May, at 2pm, at Quinta do Castelo, which will be attended by the Mayor, the City Councillor for Culture and executive director of the festival, the authors of the artistic installations and also of some of the families portrayed in the installation “Despojos da Torre de Babel”. For security reasons, confirmation of attendance is mandatory until Wednesday, 26 May, at 1pm.
