The starting point will be the current reality so that, from there, we can ride a ride with 6 years of history, full of places, objects, people and traditions. “With your feet on the ground and your hands in the sea” is the name of the great exhibition that will show the past and present of Quarteira, to be inaugurated on May 13, 2021, in the building of the old auction house.
Until then, there is a lot of work (still) to be done, but the general lines are defined. The design of an exhibition of this size, which was revealed first hand by Sul Informação, involves three entities: Câmara de Loulé, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve.
They were the ones who got together this Tuesday, January 14th, in Loulé, to sign collaboration protocols for the preparation of the exhibition and also to visit the new reserves of the Museum of Loulé.
On the part of the autarchy, all inherent costs will be ensured, with the launch of public tender procedures. One of the ideas, for example, is to rehabilitate the old auction building, in Largo das Cortes Reais, close to the fruit and fish markets.
The Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, in turn, guarantees the transfer of pieces that are in other parts of the country, such as the National Archeology Museum.
Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve and DGPC will also collaborate in the dissemination of the exhibition. The Scientific Coordinator of this exhibition also comes from the Regional Directorate of Culture: Rui Parreira, Director of Cultural Goods Services.
It was he who explained, to the Sul Informação, the great idea inherent in “With your feet on the ground and your hands on the sea”.
«The exhibition is still being thought out, but there are some lines that have already been defined, such as looking for the identities of Quarteira, through a journey into the past. What we want is to start from the present of that city, with its communities, traditions and differences, and take a trip to the past», he said.
On this trip, «the oldest stable human settlement, discovered at the foot of Loulé Velho beach», the connections between the land and the sea, with the communities of fishermen, shepherds, farmers and hunters, or the stories linked to the old floodplain from Quarteira, where the first sugarcane plantations were made in the Algarve, which brought slaves to the region.
Throughout the exhibition, “archaeology will have a central place”. Moreover, in the parish of Quarteira there are, for example, the ruins of Cerro da Vila (Vilamoura), the excavations of Loulé Velho or the Fonte Santa, just to mention three places of historical and cultural interest.
It is true that the idea goes through «to cover all heritages, from the material, immaterial, objects, sites and territories. Basically, everything that led to Quarteira being what it is today. This naturally obliges us to reflect also on the future of the city», considered Rui Parreira.
Despite this rich past, the truth is that, in recent decades, Quarteira has become very attached to tourism alone.
Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, recalled precisely this fact, referring to Isidoro Correia, a native of Quarteira who always fought for the need to preserve the history of his city.
«Nowadays, when we talk about tourism, we also have to think about heritage. Tourists increasingly value identity and this exhibition is also aimed at that. The exhibition is an ambitious project, but rich», he said.
And nothing will be done without the collaboration of the locals: the people from Quarteira, who know the history of their city like no one else. For this purpose, sessions will be held with the population.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Telmo Pinto, president of the Parish Council of Quarteira, considers that this exhibition will be «very important».
«We are talking about 6 years! There is always a high expectation from the population. This is a tourist land, but people are increasingly looking for what is local – such an identity», he said to journalists.
Adriana Freire Nogueira, regional director of Culture of the Algarve, also defended the idea that this is an initiative with repercussions in the territory. "The exhibition will make people look at their land differently," he said.
This show follows on from another - to "LOULÉ, Territories, Memories and Identities" which was on display at the National Archeology Museum (MNA) until June, an exhibition that was a success, receiving around 400 thousand visitors.
António Carvalho, director of the MNA and present in representation of the general director of Cultural Heritage, spoke of this success, also projecting the future: «the exhibitions are a dynamo to make and advance even more».
Because, as Adriana Nogueira concluded, «on the day that memory disappears, we also disappear».
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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