Abstract:
“O Corvo e a Flor” [The Raven and the Flower] is a cross-disciplinary cultural, artistic, and educational project planned to take place in Santa Cruz on the island of Flores and in Vila do Corvo on the island of Corvo. It targets one of the most geographically isolated areas of Portugal in terms of access to cultural initiatives—the Azores archipelago, specifically the islands furthest from the central region—whose communities and institutions have repeatedly expressed a lack of cultural offerings in their territories. In this sense, “O Corvo e a Flor” affirms its relevance by aiming to provide both learning and artistic creation opportunities for local communities and artists, and to establish a collaborative and co-creative project format that will encourage similar local initiatives in the future, strengthening the ties between institutions, artists, and communities.
To have a positive and meaningful impact on the local cultural and artistic experience, “O Corvo e a Flor” is grounded in the methodology of Teatro do Real (Theatre of the Real), emphasizing the active participation of all involved in the creation of a plural artistic object that reflects both social and individual perspectives on the islands, the community, and its culture. In addition to the documentary nature characteristic of this theatre style, a video documentary will also be produced to portray the project’s impact on the community, providing an additional platform for expression and for promoting its human, artistic, and cultural value. In terms of innovation, this is the kind of project currently lacking in culturally decentralized regions and is essential for the appropriation and empowerment of local communities regarding their culture, as well as their access to and engagement with artistic creation.
Beyond addressing the region’s social and cultural concerns, “O Corvo e a Flor” also seeks to create a high-quality performative work by offering training in voice, body, and acting (Choral Singing, Theatre, Physical Theatre, and the Musicality of Movement). It collaborates with two local theatre groups and one folkloric group—A Jangada, Os Escarépios, and The Folkloric and Ethnographic Group of Corvo—enhancing the conditions necessary for the co-creation between community and artists to result in a work of excellence and recognized artistic value. This, in turn, is seen as an important contribution to how communities perceive and affirm their cultural efforts, strength, and value.
Team:
Jorge Luís Castro; João Francisco Távora e Maria José Araújo
A project by the AURUM et PURPURA Association, co-funded by DGArtes, in partnership with INET-md | CIPEM, Associação Corvo Vivo, Museu das Flores, EBS Mouzinho da Silveira, and the theatre group “A Jangada”