Assis Reis's Architecture in Bahia: The Influence of Climate and Culture on His Work

The city of Abrantes is a significant point, both materially and historically, within a larger geographical area. This importance stems from its geo-strategic location, resulting from a promontory situated at the geometric center of the territory, delimited by geopolitical conventions and located at the transition between two landscapes of different morphologies.

Abrantes has always functioned as a point of observation and reference, serving as a fortified outpost and an obligatory route, whether in times of peace or conflict. On this fundamental terrain, human presence established its location, intrinsically linked to the surrounding environment.

The Castle, being the initial nucleus of the city, occupied the primary position, dominating the curve of the Tagus River that surrounds the promontory. The castle walls extended to organize civil and religious life, following the valleys and descending towards the river. Near the river, on the alluvial plain, the first religious communities emerged, close to the movement of work and commerce, but vulnerable to seasonal flooding risks from the Tagus.

Due to poor sanitary conditions and the occurrence of plagues, religious orders were forced to leave the plain in search of greater topographical safety, settling on the outskirts of the city. These new installations appeared at the extremes of the urban axes, which were previously centered on the Castle and the two parishes.

The Dominican Convent of São Domingos was established on the Rossio plateau, outside the walls (current Republic Square). This 16th-century building sat on a section of Vauban-style wall, atop a steep slope on the southern end of the promontory where Abrantes is located. After losing its monastic function, the convent was used by military personnel and students, and its church was converted into a public library, while most of the other spaces were ceded to the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar.

Currently, the convent houses the MIAA - Iberian Museum of Archaeology and Art of Abrantes, which occupies the wings not used by the library. The MIAA project is based on the understanding that construction in the territory is part of it, being simultaneously an external object and a record of events and periods that shape the landscape.

Starting from a dialectic aimed at clarifying the built complex, the project considers the programmatic and logistical requirements necessary to create museological conditions in a historical building that required care. The objective was to find a solution that highlighted the heritage value, resuming an organization that referred to the original spatial arrangement.

The convent's spaces, arranged around the original cloister, revealed unexpected architectural quality and flexibility after the removal of cells by previous occupants. This reinforced the need for the restoration, rehabilitation, and infrastructure of the building to be guided by formal sobriety and functional occupation adapted to the structural and spatial characteristics of the complex.

The ground floor of the convent was mainly dedicated to technical services and support for the museum's operation. On the first floor, exhibition spaces are distributed for specific collections and funds deposited at the Abrantes City Council.

The heritage assessment of the building allowed for the recovery, in a practical and surprisingly advantageous way in terms of architectural quality and functional flexibility, of the original concept of the Dominican Convent. Thus, the MIAA subtly assumes a new centrality in the city of Abrantes, located on top of the hill.

The initiative known as "40 Hours of Angicos," coordinated by educator Paulo Freire in 1963 in the city of Angicos, has been officially recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Rio Grande do Norte. This decision was formalized in this Tuesday's (27th) Official Gazette.

This literacy project was implemented in the municipality of Angicos, located in the interior of the state. The recognition covers all aspects related to the experience, including oral accounts, knowledge, pedagogical practices, and the memories of the communities and individuals who participated.

As established by legislation, the purpose of this recognition is twofold: to preserve the collective memory of those involved and to stimulate research, in addition to promoting the dissemination of historical and cultural references linked to the project. Furthermore, it aims to transmit this legacy to future generations and highlight the relevance of Angicos to the trajectory of Brazilian education.

The official text clarifies that such recognition does not annul the administrative procedures for inventory and registration provided for in cultural heritage protection standards. Nor does it impose on the state education network the adoption of a specific pedagogical method or promote changes in school curricula.

The 40 Hours of Angicos

In 1963, Freire introduced an innovative model of popular education in the city of Angicos, located in the West of Rio Grande do Norte, which at the time had approximately 9.5 thousand inhabitants. The educator set an ambitious goal: to teach adults to read and write in just 40 hours. The first class had 380 registered participants, about 300 of whom completed the course, which took place between January 28 and April 2.

The Paulo Freire method focuses on adult literacy through the discussion of their mutual experiences, using words extracted from the reality of the students themselves, which are later decoded to aid in acquiring writing and understanding the world.

Freire structured his literacy method based on people's life experiences. Instead of using standardized teaching materials, such as teaching phrases like "the bull baba" or "grandma saw the grape," he worked with so-called "generating words" that came from the reality of the common citizen.

A practical example shows that a factory worker could learn terms like "brick" or "cement," while a farmer would learn vocabulary such as "sugarcane," "hoe," "earth," and "harvest." The formation of new vocabulary occurred through the phonetic decoding of these words.

The coordination of Paulo Freire's arrival in Rio Grande do Norte began in 1962, under the management of the then governor Aluízio Alves, a native of Angicos, and was facilitated by the Secretary of Education Calazans Fernandes. The intention was to extend the Paulo Freire program throughout the state to reduce illiteracy rates; however, the educator was exiled in 1964 after the military coup, accused of subversion.

Cape Verdean artist Amadeo Carvalho is exhibiting his individual show for the first time in Paris, France, at the international AKAA exhibition. This exhibition focuses on themes of identity, memory, and diaspora experience, bringing together works from his series 'Portraits of Absence.'

The exhibition, titled 'Fragments of Identity — Lusophone Circulations, Sensitive Geographies,' was presented by the artist known as a 'face worker.' He considers this opportunity extremely important for the focused presentation of his work and the search for a new audience, explaining that his pieces are portraits that explore memory, identity, and presence.

The exhibition is curated by Cape Verdean Emily Silva, who founded the curatorial platform Casa Vicência in Paris. The exhibition is distinguished by its use of organic materials and textures on canvas. The artist noted that he uses pigments from the volcano of Fogo island because his ancestors, who hold family memories he does not know, originate from there.

In addition to Fogo island, Carvalho incorporated volcanic materials collected by him from the islands of Santiago and São Vicente into his canvases, thereby linking the archipelago's geology with the creative process, according to a report sent to Lusa. Living in London, UK, Amadeo Carvalho believes that one must be outside an island to see it, emphasizing that art has helped him 'heal many wounds and traumas.'

He added that these pigments help establish a connection between territory, body, and what remains between people, and his work touches upon the experience of emigration. According to him, emigration not only causes longing for loved ones but also heals.

For Amadeo Carvalho, the accumulated experience of staying in art residencies in Africa, America, and Europe nourishes his practice and creative dynamic. He stated that Cape Verdeans are a people born in movement, and as an artist, he too must constantly be in motion.

Despite the inspiration from his Cape Verdean roots, Amadeo Carvalho refuses to accept limiting labels in the international art market. He insists on being called simply an artist, not just an African one, as such labels can confine him within frameworks he dislikes, since art is much broader than that.

The artist also emphasized that his works are created to establish an intimate connection with the public through visual details. He concluded that while the painting is visible from afar, approaching closer allows one to examine the textures and layers that reflect daily struggles, and sometimes one must remove layers to understand another person's layer.

Amadeo Carvalho, originally from São Vicente, was recognized in the 2024 Bantumen Powerlist100. His background includes visits to FNB Art Joburg (South Africa) and an art residency at Pacific Northwest College of Art, in the United States.