As part of the Transformative Territories project, ITM is tackling the issue of forest fires in the specific village community of Mação, through the prism of art as a means of reflection and regeneration.

The project brings together local photographer Kenia De Aguiar Ribeiro, artist Margherita Pevere and the local community. Initially taking the form of data collection documenting the experiences of local people in relation to the fires, the project will continue with a photographic competition between individuals from the community, culminating in an exhibition that will highlight the devastation caused by the fires, but also the efforts to regenerate and resilience the local archaeological heritage and some of the local efforts that are being made to find future solutions to forest fires and forest management. A documentary film will also document the whole process and evolution of the project. The documentary will serve as a legacy of the work carried out, providing a platform for awareness-raising and dialogue on the importance of community resilience in the face of forest fires, and highlighting the stories and strength of those affected.

Kenia De Aguiar Ribeiro research was carried out in Spain, taking as her research object an early 20th-century photographic collection focusing on the petroglyphs of Galicia, Spain. This subject, in which photography lies between art and science, has already been presented at conferences in Brazil and Spain. During her stay in Portugal, she took up a photographic residency at the Center for Photographic Studies in Tomar (CEFT), where her assignment was to document behind-the-scenes of one of Portugal’s most traditional festivals, the “Festa dos Tabuleiros”, part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage. On the professional front, Kenia has already produced photo reports for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Confederation of Municipalities (Brazil).

ITM will welcome artist Marguerita Pevere, winner of the COAL 2024 Award mention Transformative Territories, to take part in the Maçao project.

Read more at the partner’s website : https://www.pacadnetwork.com/itm/