For two weeks, Ilha da Culatra, in the municipality of Faro, was the muse that inspired the American artist Julie Byrne to compose new songs. “It's a blessing to be here. Culatra is such a charming place. The atmosphere itself, the moment when the sun sets… It seems that nothing else exists», he confessed, days before the end of his artistic residency.
The invitation came from Theater of Figures, whose programming this year has a strong component of community involvement. The challenge was soon accepted by Julie Byrne who lived, until this Monday, March 25, in a small house in Culatra.
“I feel so grateful. People have been very hospitable. I just wanted to know how to speak Portuguese better to reciprocate the affection they've given me», he explained, smiling, before a concert, last Sunday, March 24, in Culatra.
The big goal was to make the island the inspiration for Julie to write songs. There wasn't exactly a work with the community, but about the community.
«Since I arrived, I've made a song entirely here, inspired by what I've been seeing. I also finished two others that were unfinished», he revealed.
To repay «all the affection» received, Julie Byrne, who visited the Teatro das Figuras in June 2018, decided to give a concert of thanks, this Sunday afternoon, at the Polidesportivo do Culatrense.
The room filled to listen Indie folk, a different style of music from the one you usually hear in those parts.
There were those who stayed to listen, but also those who left to continue talking. In the end, a woman stood out from the rest and decided she had to go and thank the artist.
Jill Artifice is English, but she married a culatrean (hence the nickname). Her husband has died, but she continues to live in Culatra. «I loved the concert. I felt I had to go and thank you because this was something different from what usually happens here», he confessed to Sul Informação. "The music was fantastic," he added.
But it wasn't just Jill who liked the initiative. In the end, there were those who went to Sílvia Padinha, president of the Association of Residents of Culatra, to congratulate her.
«They came to tell me that it was very beautiful. Even I was surprised by the acceptance, because it brought us something totally different from what we are used to», he confessed, between laughs.
Bringing “new realities” to Culatra was, in fact, the great asset of the artistic residency and the concert that followed, as well as the presentation of the Culatra 2030 project, which also took place in the afternoon at the Polidesportivo.
«This place is a paradise and has its own essence, but we want to bring here knowledge and approach to other realities. That's the only way we can go further», explained Sílvia Padinha.
And how did the people of the sea coexist with the presence of an international artist?
«Julie was received with pleasure. She walked, went to restaurants, to the beach. She often saw her in the places where the fishermen were working, which certainly inspired her. People didn't know who it was, but they never bothered her either. There was mutual respect,” said the president of the Association of Residents of Culatra.
For this reason, for Gil Silva, director of Teatro das Figuras, these initiatives are to continue.
«We want to continue with the idea of residences in a place that invites so much to reflection. The objective is to bring more artists to Culatra, because this, in the end, brings recognition to the community itself», he said.
Proof of this is the fact that Julie has composed entirely a song about Culatra during these days. The experience of moving to an island, with weapons and luggage, is a milestone in the artist's career.
"Is unforgettable. If I were more fluent in Portuguese, it would have been even easier to work with people here, but I still feel that I have developed good friendships. I hope to come back”, she concluded, smiling, with the sunset on the horizon, a scenario that so inspired her for two weeks.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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