Is it possible to mix monuments, relaxing massages, music and literature? The cycle “On the Path of Talking Stones: reinventing heritage” has already shown that it does and now it returns, starting on Sunday, August 25th, with its second edition.
The first performance is scheduled for the Sagres Fortress, throughout the day, continuing this second cycle until October 20, passing through several historical monuments in the Algarve.
These sessions are free of charge for anyone who buys entry to the various monuments covered and take place throughout the day, according to the monuments' normal opening hours.
The sessions start on 25th August at the Fortress of Sagres, followed by 28th August at the castle of Aljezur (as part of the Municipal Festival), 31st August at the castle of Paderne, 8th September at the hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Guadeloupe, September 22, in the villa Roman Church of Milreu (as part of the European Heritage Days), 7 October at the castle of Loulé (included in the International Day of Castles) and 20 October, again at the Fortress of Sagres.
Promoted by the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve, the cycle presents an «innovative, bold and interdisciplinary format», which combines the art of well-spoken literature with the intimate surroundings of relaxing massage and live music, applied to a heritage context and therefore unconventional reading.
The original idea comes from Paulo Pires and Sónia Pereira, who are part of the project experiment art (Valence of the Cante Andarilho Cultural Association dedicated to the promotion and mediation of reading).
Along with therapist Lúcia Guerreiro, over seven sessions, Paulo Pires and Sónia Pereira will provide visitors to the Sagres Fortress, from the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe (Vila do Bispo), from Villa Romana de Milreu (I am, Faro) and the Castles of Loulé, Paderne and Aljezur, a “surprising and unprecedented experience in Portugal in terms of the enjoyment of cultural goods”.
«The structure of the cycle is based on a logic of evoking the memory and symbolism of places and on an original and fruitful combination of literary, imagery, theatrical, performative, musical and therapeutic languages», explain the organizers.
In addition to seeking to promote «moments of well-being and relaxation, through body massage and the creation of an atmosphere that allows the creation of an effective sensation of lightness and sensory calming, the project also aims to stimulate the taste and interest in discovery, reading and enjoyment of short-term literary texts (poetry, poetic prose, chronicle, etc.), of varied themes – including the Algarve and its historical-archaeological and also immaterial heritage –, thus favoring a didactic-informative dimension but also aesthetically appealing».
For each space, the promoters propose, over the course of a day, a personalized relaxation massage format (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per person), accompanied by the expressive reading of texts by authors in Portuguese, which has various backgrounds. “musical landscapes” performed live (in solo accordion and using other more portable instruments, in a register that oscillates between classical, contemporary, jazz and a strong improvisational dimension), all in an intimate and engaging environment.
At the end of each massage, various personalized bookmarks are made available to visitors, which contain the texts that were read during the action, so that visitors can then deepen their knowledge in terms of reading about the themes and authors discussed.
Who are Paulo Pires, Sónia Pereira and Lúcia Guerreiro?
Paulo Pires and Sónia Pereira are programmers in the area of Culture in the municipality of Silves, as well as reading trainers and mediators, with higher education and specializations in the areas of Languages and Literatures, Library Science and Musical and Artistic Studies.
Over the past few years, they have been collaborating with the most recognized figures in Portuguese Arts and Letters in various formats aimed at the interdisciplinary promotion of reading habits among young and adult audiences.
In 2007 they had already promoted the project “Letras ao Sul” for the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve and in 2011 they presented in the Algarve the first edition of the cycle “Na path of speaking stones”.
Lúcia Guerreiro, special guest for this project, is a food engineer, psychologist, university professor, massage therapist/physiotherapist and owner-manager of Amazing Day Spa, in Silves.
Comments