Con empo a y
po uguese
hea e
ExpE imEn alism, poli ics
and U opia
[wo king i lE]
© TNDM II & Bicho do Ma o, 2017
© Ana Bigo e Viei a, Ana Pais, Eunice Tudela de Aze edo, Gus a o Vicen e,
Jo ge Lou aço Figuei a, Ma ia Sequei a Mendes, Paula Magalhães, Ri a Ma ins, Rui Pina Coelho
ansla ion
Rosa Chu che Cla ke, Sco Culp
p oo eading
Jane Dua e, Ma iana Vaz-F ei e
co e design
Pa ícia Flô
p in ing and binding
AGIR
Lisbon, 2017 | Depósi o Legal: 427797/17 | ISBN: 978-989-8349-50-7
Al hough he D. Ma ia II Na ional Thea e has made e e y e o o con ac he au ho s
o he pho og aphs con ained in his publica ion, namely h ough he a is s, companies and
hea es wi h whom hey’ e collabo a ed, i was no possible o loca e all he pho og aphe s.
All igh s ese ed. No pa o his publica ion may be ep oduced o ansmi ed
in any o m o by any means (elec onic, mechanical, pho ocopy, e c.) wi hou
pe mission in w i ing om he publishe and he D. Ma ia II Na ional Thea e.
www.bicho-do-ma o.p | www. ndm.p
Con empo a y
po uguese
hea e
ExpE imEn alism, poli ics
and U opia
[wo king i lE] coo dina ion
ui pina coelho
CONTENTS
iNT OduCTiON
Expe imen alism, Poli ics and u opia:
Po uguese Thea e a he Beginning o he
20 h Cen u y and on he Th eshold o he New Millennium 7
RuI PINA CoELho
1. C ea i e Bases o he 21s Cen u y: in ensi ica ion o he S age
Expe ience in João Ga cia Miguel (OLHO) and in Miguel Mo ei a (Ú e o) 23
GuSTAVo VICENTE
2. democ a ic egime and S aging egimes:
Th ee di ec o s (Nuno Ca doso, B uno B a o and Gonçalo Amo im) 41
JoRGE LouRAço FIGuEIRA
3. The Geog aphic and A ec i e Te i o ies
o Comédias do Minho and Tea o do Ves ido 59
RuI PINA CoELho
4. Leisu e, Wo k and A ec , o he A o iden i ying
Wha ’s impo an : Tónan Qui o, Tiago od igues and Gonçalo Wadding on 79
ANA PAIS
5. O he A is s: Tea o P aga and Tea o Cão Sol ei o 99
MARIA SEquEIRA MENDES
6. The Poe ics o disquie in mala oado a, Colec i o 84,
Ma im Ped oso & No a Companhia and Miguel Lou ei o (Cole i o 3/qua os) 117
RITA MARTINS
7. A T ansdisciplina y Space: P ojec o Tea al, Ka na , Visões Ú eis and Ci colando 135
EuNICE TuDELA DE AzEVEDo
8. Companies o Ac o s: Modes, P ocesses and Con igu a ions
o As Boas apa igas…, Palmilha den ada and he Tea o do Eléc ico 155
PAuLA GoMES MAGALhãES
9. A Cha ac e S eps Ou o a Book, an Audience eads,
a Man Emb aces a Pile o Books: Pa ícia Po ela, Miguel Cas o Caldas and ui Ca alão 173
ANA BIGoTTE VIEIRA
BiOG APHiCAL NOTES 188
ABB EViATiONS 190

EUNICE TUDELA DE AZEVEDO
7
A T ansdisciplina y Space:
P ojec o Tea al, Ka na ,
Visões Ú eis and Ci colando
 A eia, collec i e c ea ion
di . And é B aga | Ci colando, 2011
(And é B aga) | pho o João Tuna/TNSJ
PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 136
We migh hink o he eme gence o g oups such as
P ojec o Tea al, Ka na , Visões Ú eis o Ci colando, as
he p oduc o a momen in which Po uguese hea e,
ollowing decades o isola ion and cas a ion, sough
o ca ch up wi h wha was being done elsewhe e in
Eu ope. The con ex in which hey appea ed, h ough-
ou he 1990s, was cha ac e ised by an e o o e-
es ablish he e y ounda ions o Po uguese hea e.
This ma e ialised i sel in p ojec s o a mo e expe i-
men al na u e. The s ong c ea i e d i e e lec ed he
companies’ wish o claim a place o hemsel es — o
do hings hei own way.
P ojec o Tea al
I is almos impossible o alk o hea e g oups which
managed o es ablish a place o hemsel es wi h-
ou P ojec o Tea al coming o mind. The collec i e,
es ablished in 1994, by João Rod igues, Ma ia Dua e,
Helena Ta a es, And é Ma anha and Gonçalo Fe ei a
de Almeida, has p oduced an inc easingly sub e si e
and con o e sial body o wo k, and ends o dis ance
i sel om no only mo e media-o ien ed o com-
me cial ci cui s — wi h he excep ion o he big 2016
e ospec i e p omo ed by Cul u ges and he Ma ia
Ma os Municipal Thea e — bu also om a mo e con-
en ional de ini ion o hea e. I wasn’ , howe e ,
always so. P ojec o Tea al’s i s pe o mance was
a p oduc ion o Jean Paul Sa e’s As T oianas [The
T ojan Women] (di . Ma ia Dua e and Elsa Valen im,
1994), in which he e ea u ed a numbe o elemen s
adi ionally associa ed wi h hea e. O e ime hese
would disappea om he g oup’s pe o mances. Nex
came Ciclo Inconsula [Inconsula Cycle] (1996),
which was based on h ee non-d ama ic ex s (Le Roi
des aulnes, by Michel Tou nie , Giacomo Joyce, by
James Joyce, and The Was eland, by T. S. Elio ) and
was di ec ed by Elsa Valen im, Rogé io de Ca alho
and João G osso, wi h Ma ia Dua e appea ing as he
only pe o me . I was a pe o mance cons uc ed on
a “p o oundly expe imen al, isual and pe o ma i e
[base] [...] [ amed] by a igo ously hough ou scenic
design” (Vasques, 1996). In 1997, a p oduc ion o As
C iadas [The Maids] by Jean Gene (di . João G osso)
ma ked he end o P ojec o Tea al’s ini ial phase,
which, hough cha ac e ised by a ce ain expe imen-
alism, had s ill been clea ly loca able wi hin he ield
o hea e.
In dissidências [dissen s] (1997), he e we e ewe
c ea i e elemen s in ol ed han one migh expec o a
ypical hea e p oduc ion (in he p og amme, only
he a is ic di ec o was men ioned), and he space
chosen o he pe o mance was also al e na i e: he
wes e n owe o he Co doa ia Nacional. Bu i was
wi h [mesa] [ able] (1999) ha he hea e g oup’s
wo k eally u ned a co ne . Si ing a ound a able
in he Gale ia Fio de P umo — he o me Sidul suga
ac o y — six pe o me s de ised he e en om he
idea ha each o hem had o wha a “ able ead” migh
be, a oiding e ms such as “pe o mance”, “cha ac-
e ” o “ac o ”. As ea ly as [mesa], a ce ain si ing
o he elemen s in ol ed in hea e p oduc ion can be
no ed in he g oup’s wo k, as he sepa a e momen s o
he play’s cons uc ion we e isola ed and u ned in o
a objec s in hemsel es.
es u a | P ojec o Tea al, 2005 | pho o P ojec o Tea al
PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 144
Ye ma, based on ex s by Fede ico Ga cía Lo ca
di . Luís Cas o | Ka na , 2005
(And esa Soa es) | pho o Ma ia Campos
g ea e d ama ic densi y, making i mo e imp obable,
enigma ic and p one o deciphe men . The igu e o he
“pe ins e ” also con ibu es o his densi y, manipu-
la ing he objec s and ans o ming he space h ough
ca e ul and delibe a e mo emen s — adding, emo ing
and modi ying he elemen s o which i is composed.
Ye ma, based on Fede ico Ga cia Lo ca’s play (2005),
was he i s pa o a ilogy dedica ed o he heme o
amily and es ablishes a c ucial momen in he de el-
opmen o “pe ins ”, as he i s pe o mance in which
he e is a s ong pa adigma ic ela ionship be ween he
objec and he ac o .
Objec s ake on a cen al ole and exis in g ea
numbe s, di ided in o a numbe o ca ego ies in he
company’s a chi e: c a s, ex iles, geological objec s,
dolls, eligious i ems, lowe s, embalmed animals,
e c... These cons i u e a collec ion e lec ing he ich
and a ied na u e o he wo ld, and a e me hodically
ca alogued and o ganised in he “objec o hèque” a
Ka na ’s Cabine o Cu iosi ies4. Indeed, he imp es-
si e a chi e is one o he company’s c ea i e bases,
wi h some o i s pe o mances being cons uc ed om
a p e-selec ion made by Luís Cas o, which is hen
made a ailable o he ac o s so ha hey can con ib-
u e on a gi en subjec o ex , as was he case in he
c ea i e p ocess which esul ed in Ilhas [Islands]
(based on Ilhas Desconhecidas [Unknown Islands], by
Raul B andão, 2012). Each o he objec s ca ies wi h
i a ce ain s o y om i s exis ence be o e i en e ed
he a chi e, he eason o i s inclusion, as well as he
his o y o i s use in he collec i e’s wo k, being amil-
ia o all. Gi en he g oup’s ecological conce ns, in

145 | PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo
he case o na u al objec s, hese a e ne e iolen ly
emo ed om hei o iginal se ings, o example.
E hics and a will o pa icipa e in he public
sphe e a e hus o be ound a he hea o Ka na ’s
wo k, and se e as an indica ion o he ecological,
social and poli ical p eoccupa ions which de ine bo h
he g oup’s d ama u gical wo k and he isual aspec
o i s pe o mances. In Sal esa e (2000) — which
ocused on Mozambique’s disas ous loods o he same
yea , in an a emp o aise awa eness o he de as-
a ing e ec s o clima e change — one can al eady see
he p esence o an ecological impulse. In O Con en o
[The Con en ] (2011), which akes o i s base he
cha ac e is ics (en i onmen al, cul u al, sociologi-
cal and an h opological) o a gi en landscape — he
Monchique moun ain ange in he Alga e’s in e io —
a amily li ing modes ly in an old abandoned con en 5
seeks an al e na i e, mo e sus ainable way o li e. In
his play, ano he o Ka na ’s ecu ing subjec s and
me hodologies is e ealed — one which also ea u es in
Po ucalidades [Po ucali ies] (2001): he use o ield-
wo k and an up-close expe ience wi h a communi y
as a p oduc ion’s base. This ea lie p ojec — a pe o -
mance in a ious pa s, p esen ed in a ious di e en
egions o Po ugal — had de eloped om he pa icu-
la i ies o each, guided by a conce n o highligh hei
cul u al speci ici ies and also he wa ning ha a ce ain
loss o cha ac e and ex inc ion o adi ional, a isanal
alues could be unde way.
Ano he impo an ea u e o he company’s
wo k is e ealed in he pe o mances in which ques-
ions o social ma ginali y and mino i y igh s a e
aised, as in He maph odi a [He maph odi e] (based
on He maph odi a, by Eugénio de Cas o, di . Vel Z,
2015), whe e a hyb id body and i s sexuali y was
explo ed using a ideo p ojec ion on o a body-become-
can as. Plain o see in his piece is a poli ical ben and
he in en ion o make he audience con on al e i y: o
encoun e , o conside and o espec he o he .
Visões Ú eis
Social conce ns and in e en ion in he public sphe e
is some hing which also ea u es hea ily in he wo k o
Visões Ú eis, a collec i e indissociable om he place
whe e i came in o being in 1994: he ci y o Opo o.
The company was ounded by Ca los Cos a, Nuno Ca -
doso, Ana Vi o ino, Ca a ina Ma ins, Lucinda Gomes,
Ped o Ca ei a and Alb ech Loops, a ound a mani-
es o w i en collec i ely — a ac which is indica i e
o he g oup’s spi i , and also he in luence ha he
his o ical angua d had on i s o ma ion. The di ec-
i es o Visões Ú eis’ c ea ion a e laid ou in ha
ini ial mani es o: collec i e playw i ing, a mixing o
di e en a is ic languages, and a cons an sea ch o
o iginal ways o pu oge he pe o mances — pe o -
mances in which he Gesam kuns we k [ o al wo k
o a ] concep is aken o be some hing undamen al.
Mo i a ed by e hical and poli ical conce ns, he col-
lec i e’s wo k is based on a sea ch o , and e lec ion
upon, con empo a y a is ic p oduc ion p ocesses,
and on social esponsibili y o one’s communi y.
Connec ion o ha communi y and he cen al-
i y o u ban space ga e ise o an in e es ing b anch
o he company’s wo k: landscape pe o mance (o
PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 146
Coma P o undo, di . Ana Vi o ino,
Ca los Cos a and Ped o Ca ei a
Visões Ú eis, 2002 | pho o Paulo Pimen a
audiowalks). Concei ed in close connec ion o he ci y,
he pe o mances a e exp essly c ea ed o and om
he ou e o be walked. The spec a o , equipped wi h
headphones and an audio de ice, is guided by an o igi-
nal sound ack, which consis s o a eading o a collec-
i ely w i en ex , music and ambien sounds. These
a objec s we e also c ea ed o o he geog aphies,
such as in E a e (d ama u gy and di ec ion by Ana
Vi o ino, Ca los Cos a and Ca a ina Ma ins, 2004), o
Pa ma, in I aly, bu mos equen ly he audiowalks a e
dedica ed o Opo o and e eal a desi e o social and
communi y-based in e en ion.
These landscape pe o mances — a usion o
hea e, music and u banism — a e closely ied o a
ci y which has, h oughou he yea s, been inhabi ed
by a se ies o gene a ions, as in Coma P o undo [Deep
Coma] (d ama u gy and di ec ion by Ana Vi o ino,
Ca los Cos a and Ped o Ca ei a, 2002)6. This audio-
walk ca ies wi hin i he idea o he ansience o
li e and ci ilisa ions, and he associa ion o his wi h
he ans o ma ion o he u ban space and he impac
his has on hose who inhabi i . I is p esen ed as a
wa ning o he dese i ica ion o he ci y, along wi h
he associa ed social and cul u al issues, such as he
gen i ica ion o be wi nessed in he Foz Velha a ea
(and which now, in 2017, a ec s o he zones o he
ci y). This walk accoun s o a Opo o wo king on wo
di e en acks: di ided be ween he pas — he e a o
he old Foz inhabi an s, which we e he inspi a ion o
he pe o mance — and a mode ni y exiled in sealed
condominiums, u ned in on i sel , a mi o o ou
indi idualis socie y which igno es he public sphe e,
147 | PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo
Ópe a iXi, di . Ka e Ma hews
in collabo a ion wi h Ana Vi o ino and Ca los Cos a
Visões Ú eis, 2013 | pho o Ka e Ma hews
closing i sel o om he su ounding communi y and
he O he .
Ópe a iXi [ iXi Ope a] (2013), di ec ed by Ka e
Ma hews in collabo a ion wi h Ana Vi o ino and Ca los
Cos a, is an in e es ing adap ion o landscape pe o -
mance ha main ains he same in e en i e cha ac e .
In luenced by he company’s ecological e hics7, his
ope a, which wa ns o he e ec s o wa e pollu ion,
is hea d and seen ollowing a ou e plo ed along he
banks o he Dou o i e , whe e a numbe o pe o -
mance poin s a e o be ound. Using a bike adap ed
o he pu pose — i ed wi h speake s and a loca ion
inde — he cyclis -spec a o lis ens o he sound ack
especially designed o he ou e. The expe ience was
inspi ed by con empo a y ishing p ac ice on he
Dou o i e , he i e i sel , and by he phenomenon
o sex-change in ish as a esul o wa e pollu ion — a
ac o which explains he audience’s encoun e wi h
male me maids and emale ishe (wo)men. The si e-
speci ici y and communi y/social in e en ion o hese
pieces a e likewise p esen in he c ea ions designed
o a ou e a ound no he n Po ugal’s p isons,
which o med pa o he P ojec o Libe dades [P ojec
Libe ies]8 (1997-1999).
Th ee cycles can be picked ou in he cou se o
Visões Ú eis’ de elopmen : a i s ins ance (1994-1999)
cha ac e ised by collabo a ion wi h in i ed di ec o s
wo king on ex s by a ious au ho s — Ka ka, Ionesco,
Gene , Dos oye sky, amongs o he s — o which he
impo an Po o Monoc omá ico [Monoch oma ic
Opo o] (di . Nuno Ca doso, 1997) appea s as he
i s conc e e ealisa ion o he ounding mani es o’s
PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 148
Po o Monoc omá ico, by Visões Ú eis
di . Nuno Ca doso | Visões Ú eis, 1997
(Ca los Cos a) | pho o Paulo Pimen a
in en ion. In keeping wi h he idea o a o al wo k o
a , he company c ea ed a agmen ed pe o mance
which was de eloped — h ough he de ising ech-
nique — om he u ban expe ience o Opo o, along
ansdisciplina y lines, as hea e, pain ing, pho og a-
phy, music, dance and ideo we e combined.
Nex came a second phase (1999-2008), mo e
ocused on he sea ch o new discou ses and on
“lab wo k”, in which he inpu o he a is ic di ec-
o s p e ailed, and which conce ned i sel mo e wi h
collec i e and o iginal d ama ic c ea ion based on
imp o isa ion. Nowadays, his is conside ed one o
he essen ial cha ac e is ics o he g oup’s wo k. Upon
mo ing o a new space (Fáb ica Social) in 2009, a new
e a began, in which he g oup has enjoyed imp o ed
p oduc ion condi ions and has ensu ed g ea e com-
muni y in ol emen , p omo ing ac i i ies in pa allel
o hei a is ic c ea ions, and also welcoming new
c ea i e s uc u es ( ia he p ojec A is as Associados
[Associa ed A is s]). Visões Ú eis con inues o call
o new languages based on he c oss-o e be ween
a ious di e en a is ic disciplines, and o new ways
o o ganising c ea i e p ocesses.
Ci colando
Ci colando began in 1999, in Opo o, on he ini ia i e
o he duo And é B aga and Cláudia Figuei edo. Thei
aining (in physical educa ion and con empo a y ci -
cus echniques, and sociology, espec i ely) g ea ly
shaped he de elopmen o his cul u al coope a i e,
which eme ged in close associa ed wi h he language
o con empo a y ci cus and also om a desi e o
149 | PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo
Gi o lé, collec i e c ea ion
di . And é B aga | Ci colando, 2002
(G aça ochôa) | pho o Alceu Be
ansdisciplina y c ea ion. La e dis ancing i sel om
con empo a y ci cus’ he i age, and he ea hly, u al,
onei ic, childish aes he ic which ma ked i s i s yea s
o li e, he company has emained e y much a ached
o collec i e c ea ion. Cu en ly, i s p oduc ions a ise
om a dialogue be ween hea e and dance, wi h some
ecou se o o he a is ic disciplines such as poe y,
music, ideo and isual a s, hus p ese ing he mul-
idisciplina y cha ac e a he hea o he g oup’s
wo k.
F om i s i s pe o mances designed o he public
a ena — Caixa Insóli a [Odd Box] (2000) and Rabecas
(2001) — Ci colando has adop ed a ansg essi e iden-
i y, basing i sel a he c oss oads be ween con empo-
a y ci cus, dance, physical hea e, puppe y, music
and isual c ea ion. Howe e , i was wi h Gi o lé (di .
And é B aga and Cláudia Figuei edo, 2002), c ea ed
in an a emp o ind an “absolu e audience”, ha he
company consolida ed he ans e sal aes he ic which
cha ac e ised i s pe o mances up un il 2011, which
is when A eia [Sand] (di . And é B aga and Cláudia
Figuei edo, 2011) appea ed — a wo k which b ough
wi h i up u e and ansi ion o he p esen c ea i e
con ex . Gi o lé, a wo dless poe ic mani es o composed
o a se ies o scenes and in ense physicali y, de ended
communion wi h na u e and, in i s abili y o inspi e
empa hy in any spec a o (on accoun o wha was
essen ially i s p i ileging an emo i e and senso ial dis-
cou se) sa is ied he g oup’s sea ch o a mo e uni e sal
appeal. In his p oduc ion, a s aging ea u e cha ac e -
is ic o he company’s ea ly yea s can be ound — he
a ena, which had p e iously been abandoned when he

PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 150
cu was made wi h he a is ic discou se o con empo-
a y ci cus. Ci colando’s s aging aimed a e oking i s
i ine an and ci cus o igins, which, in Gi o lé, mean
a me al s uc u e buil in a dome shape no unlike he
inne pa o a en , and inside which a celes ial ga den
was ins alled.
One pa icula ea u e cha ac e is ic o Ci colando
c ea ions is he idea o a wo k-in-p og ess. E en when
a pe o mance opens, i s inal e sion has ye o be
ixed, and hus i ends up being al e ed in he cou se o
i s con on a ion wi h he audience. This “in p og ess”
c ea i e p ocess was main ained e en beyond A eia
— a dance solo by And é B aga, on a sand-co e ed
s age, wi h a musical accompanimen by Tó T ips —,
which se ed as a so o c ea i e ese o he g oup,
as hey inco po a ed he simplici y illus a ed by he
objec s on s age. Scenic s uc u es equi ing a ce ain
le el o cons uc ion made way o simple elemen s,
p esen ed jus as hey we e — such as he sand in he
pe o mance o he same name, o he y es which
in aded he “a ena” in Noi e [Nigh ] (c ea ed by And é
B aga, Cláudia Figuei edo, Paulo Mo a and Rica do
Machado, 2015). These a e objec s which a e qui e
dis an om he i on cons uc ions o Caixa Insóli a
(di . And é B aga, 2000) and Gi o lé.
This new impe us seems o ha e spli Ci colando’s
wo k in o wo sepa a e b anches: one mo e in ima e,
in which he e y aes he ics and language o c ea ion
a e ques ioned and new o ms o a is ic exp ession
and wo king me hodologies a e sough , as in Noi e —
whe e imp o isa ion ook on a d i ing ole in he pe -
o mance’s cons uc ion; and ano he b anch which is
mo e ou wa d- acing, closely es ablishing a dialogue
wi h he communi y and explo ing social and poli ical
issues mo e explici ly. Examples o his la e app oach
a e he pe o mance Es u as [G eenhouses] (di .
And é B aga, 2013) and he se ies Espí i o do Luga
[A Spi i o Place], in which we ind a ce ain complici y
wi h he land, om which he pe o mances ake o .
Es u as, a hea e-dance pe o mance abou sleep
and d eaming, welcomed he pa icipa ion and collab-
o a ion o a numbe o igu es om he local commu-
ni y, elying on a ce ain i ine ancy on he pa o he
spec a o . Beginning in he Bai o do Ba il neighbou -
hood o Águeda’s his o ic cen e, i ends in he Al a Vila
pa k, wi h all he ac o s — ama eu and p o essional —
b ough oge he in a mass encoun e . Un il ha inal
momen — which b ough abou i s own pe o mance,
Rios de Sono [Ri e s o Sleep] — he audience isi i e
“g eenhouse- ooms” in a mix u e o inhabi ed and
abandoned houses. A is ic c ea i i y a ound a speci ic
place (in his case, Opo o) de elops wi h he pe o -
mances Espí i o do Luga 1.0 (2015) and Espí i o do
Luga 2.0 (2016). He e, pe o mance, dance, physi-
cal hea e and ideo a e in e wo en, and ake on he
o m o “walkscapes”, based on he idea o walking as
an aes he ic p ac ice — he spec a o being p esen ed
wi h a sugges ion o a jou ney h ough a ious di e -
en spaces, and con ac wi h he discou ses associa ed
o each. The ou e aced in Espí i o do Luga 1.0 (di .
And é B aga, 2015) wen om Bon im o Campanhã,
and in Espí i o do Luga 2.0 (di . And é B aga and
Cláudia Figuei edo, 2016), om Can a ei a o Foz do
Dou o — a eas cha ac e ised as ma ginal in a gen i ied
Espí i o do Luga 1.0, di . And é B aga
and Cláudia Figuei edo | Ci colando, 2015
(Cos anza Gi one and João Vladimi o) | pho o Lau en Magane e
PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo | 152
Espí i o do Luga 2.0, di . And é B aga
and Cláudia Figuei edo | Ci colando, 2016,
(Ma ga ida Gonçal es) | pho o Lau en Magane e
Opo o, bu which a e home o a signi ican p opo -
ion o he ci y’s elde ly and impo e ished popula ion,
escuing hem om in isibili y and obli ion. Guided
by local esiden s, he pe o mances a e shaped by he
expe iences o hose indi iduals, in i ing he walke -
spec a o o en e wa ehouses, abandoned shops,
ya ds, pa ios, e aces, homes and o he spaces which
emain excluded om he ci y’s p incipal ajec o ies.
Dialogue wi h he local communi y is also p esen in
A aial [Ca ni al] (di . And é B aga and Madalena
Vic o ino, 2012), a hea e-dance pe o mance in ol -
ing he pa icipa ion o cho eog aphe , Madalena
Vic o ino. Based in he cul u al and isual uni e se o
no he n Po ugal’s ê es and pilg images, in which
he sac ed and p o ane mee , his pe o mance was pu
on by a p o essional cas wo king oge he wi h six y
ama eu ac o s selec ed om he local communi ies o
he a ious places in which he pe o mance was pu on.
Wi h he excep ion o he si e-speci ic pe o -
mances — in which he ela ionship wi h space is qui e
plain o see, and in which his o ms pa o he c ea-
ion’s aw ma e ials — Ci colando’s spa ial aspec has
he e ec o echoing he wo king models om wo o
he company’s key pe iods. These a e: ci cula s uc-
u es which allude o a he i age in con empo a y
ci cus, and which domina ed he g oup’s ini ial yea s,
and spaces which ha e been de as a ed, dese ed — as
seen in mo e ecen c ea ions — a so o uin upon
which a p ocess o disco e y o new c ea i e o ms and
echniques was es ablished.
ëëë
153 | PRoJECTo TEATRAL | KARNART | VISõES ÚTEIS | CIRCoLANDo
This desi e o disco e new o ms o exp ession con-
s i u es an elemen common o he wo k o all ou
companies, whose c ea ions ea u e a c ossing o
a ious a is ic disciplines, p omp ing e lec ion on
he no ma i e concep s o hea e’s spec acle. Space
— an elemen which s ongly impac s on aes he ic
and d ama u gical concep ions — is, in hese collec-
i es, e-a i med as one o hea e’s p incipal c ea-
i e esou ces. Inhabi able and ans o mable, jus as
happens in Ka na ’s “pe ins ”, o in P ojec o Tea-
al’s objec -c ea ion, space and he wo k ca ied ou
a ound i cons i u es a ehicle ia which connec ions
wi h, and in e en ion in he communi y can be made,
as in Visões Ú eis’ pe o mances o in Ci colando’s
“walkscapes”. Whe he connec ed o a mo e con en-
ional de ini ion o hea e, like Visões Ú eis, o mo e
dis an om i , as is he case o P ojec o Tea al, hese
s uc u es ha e ce ainly claimed o hemsel es inde-
penden oices and e i o ies wi hin con empo a y
hea e p ac ice, h ough a collec i e and con inued
endea ou in hinking abou and c ea ing hea e.
noTes
1 The pe o mance was p esen ed a numbe o imes be ween
2005 and 2007 and was s aged in he pa io o a g ound- loo
apa men in São Ben o, Lisbon. I used a s uc u e buil
by he collec i e: a g eenhouse whe e hey plan ed a ious
kinds o ege ables, and which he public could isi .
2 C . “ hea e” p og amme, 2003.
3 The 1996 pe o mance Comb, s aged a he ICA and Smi h’s
Galle ies, in London, is jus one example o a Luís Cas o
c ea ion in which he i s seeds o Ka na can be seen o be
g owing.
4 Ka na ’s Lisbon base since 2015.
5 Nossa Senho a do Des e o F anciscan con en , in he Se a
de Foia in Monchique. I is a Public In e es He i age si e cu -
en ly in uins.
6 Visões Ú eis’ i s audiowalk, i was an audio-spacial expe i-
ence inspi ed by he wo k o Canadian a is , Jane Ca di .
7 In an a emp o educe i s ecological oo p in , Visões Ú eis
deduc s a ca bon ax om i s modes annual income, which
i dona es o o ganisa ions dedica ed o p o ec ing he en i-
onmen .
8 T ilogia da Punição (A Máquina, A Me amo ose and
O Ve edi o) [Punishmen T ilogy (The Machine, Me amo -
phosis and The Ve dic )] c ea ed om F anz Ka ka’s wo ld.
The pe o mances we e c ea ed by Ana Vi o ino, Ca los
Cos a, Ca a ina Ma ins and Ped o Ca ei a, and pu on in
a ious p isons a ound Po ugal.
BiBliog aphical e e ences
AA. VV. (2003), « ea o», Lisbon: P ojec o Tea al.
AA. VV. (2015), nenhuma en ada en em, Lisbon: P ojec o
Tea al.
Fische -Lich e, E ika (1992), The Semio ics o Thea e,
Indianapolis: Indiana Uni e si y P ess.
Se ôdio, Ma ia Helena (2011), “E oca em Pe ins a Do dos
Dese dados”, Sinais de Cena, n. 15, June, Opo o: Húmus/
APCT/CET.
Vasques, Eugénia (1996), “Sozinha em Casa”, Exp esso, 15 h
June.