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Courtesy of Navalha - Associação Cultural
Aveiro Arts House / VIC AIR
Navalha - Associação Cultural
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Description
Navalha Cultural Association is consistently developing projects in the fields of participatory arts, cultural programming, community development, conservation of heritage and international cooperation. Focused on the conservation and promotion of the cultural legacy of the multifaceted artist Vasco Branco (1919-2014), Navalha is the association responsible for the development of the cultural aspects of the VIC // Aveiro Arts House project.
Sustained Action
Their crew of artists, thinkers and technicians have developed a sustained cultural action in the territory for a few years now, collaborating in content production and programming for several of Aveiro’s most relevant artistic initiatives, such as the International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, the Festival dos Canais, Criatech and Prisma festivals or the book celebration event Festa do Livro. Strongly involved in Aveiro’s application process for European Capital of Culture in 2027, our association has recently been awarded grants by Direcção Geral das Artes, Direcção Regional de Cultura do Centro and Garantir Cultura.
Decentralisation of Culture
Assuming that art —in all its unlikely forms— can and should play a fundamental role in society and in everyday life, we strongly believe in the accessibility and decentralisation of culture.
Besides curating cultural programming away from the lobbies of Portugal’s main urban centres, Navalha is deeply interested in the development of participatory arts initiatives in rural and peripheral areas. Such was the case with Re_Emergir, a community-driven project we’ve produced in collaboration with the Spanish association Ecoopera at the former mining village of Borralha, Montalegre.
Digging Tunnels
At a time when networks seem to be one of the main convergence points of the dominant speech, they choose to dig cultural tunnels instead, substituting the ubiquitous shallowness of networking for the generation and preservation of deeper relations amongst projects, spaces, individuals and institutions.
With a strong focus on the promotion of mobility in the arts, Navalha’s activities have granted them the participation in national and international cooperation programs, such as the Creatour creative tourism research project, the European mobility programs Tandem Europe and iPortunus Houses, the Challenges for Cultural Heritage Management in Tourism international conference or the European platform Culture Action Europe, dedicated to the analysis, reflection and development of sustainable cultural policies for Europe.
The Future of Tradition
They believe in the employment of state-of-the-art tools and experimental approaches towards the preservation and promotion of our traditions. Together with the artist’s family, Navalha is fundamentally engaged in the promotion of Vasco Branco’s artistic legacy.
During the past few years we’ve developed and collaborated in multiple actions within this field, such as the rehabilitation and digitalisation of Vasco Branco’s movies, the publishing of a bilingual book about the artist’s deep connection to the city of Aveiro or, most recently, the celebrations of his centenary: a transdisciplinary event that included exhibitions, installations, round tables, guided tours, outdoors screenings and shared readings.
Arts for Freedom and Participation
Declaring the democratisation of art as one of our main goals, they believe in the development of a civil society where every citizen plays a shared and active role towards a sociopolitical context based on participation, and on freedom of artistic expression and speech, which they consider to be fundamental human rights.
Partners
Seeking to develop collaborative mechanisms between cultural agents, institutions and other creative projects in the region, Navalha has worked in partnership with a series of entities, from which we highlight Câmara Municipal de Aveiro, the Culture Action Europe platform, the Modern Art Museum of Medellín, the Ecomuseu do Barroso, MitOst e.V., the Portuguese Short Film Agency, INET-md (Ethnomusicology Institute from the Aveiro University), Porto Editora, Agrupamento de Escolas José Estêvão, GrETUA, Cinemateca Portuguesa, Porto Cineclub, Grémio Caldense, Ao Cabo Teatro, Sonoscopia, Gerador, Viral Agenda, MUSA - Music School or the 4IS association.
Outcome
The residency program encourages artists and curators to concentrate, produce, research, connect and collaborate, aiming to promote new tendencies and projects while contributing to international mobility in the arts. While this is not mandatory, artists in residence are encouraged to give at least one public presentation, performance, exhibition, workshop, or lead a similar event during their residency.
Discipline : Sound Art, Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Design, Curatorship, Cultural Management, Heritage
Studio Information
Besides your bedroom, you have access to two complete bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a shared working space, and a balcony. There is a fast internet connection in the whole house. Once a week there will be a cleaning service and you can have access to our laundry service. You have access to the remaining creative spaces of the house, such as the studio and the library, the gallery and the auditorium.
Accommodation Information
There are four sunny, spacious and private bedrooms available on the second floor of VIC, each of them dedicated to a different art process — Projects, Alchemy, Sketch and Jazz.
Technical Information
VIC Aveiro Arts House possesses a sound system, projector, and electronic music studio with a synthesizer.
They also have basic tools, such as drills, electric saws, and soldering iron. They facilitate access to human and material resources and integrate the artists within the local and national networks that are most relevant for each specific case, hence, in collaboration with partners they can provide for example exhibition or rehearsal spaces.
Location
Former home of the ceramist, painter, writer, filmmaker and social activist Vasco Branco (1919-2014), the Aveiro Arts House is a historic residence with a notable tradition regarding arts and culture. Designed in the late 50s by Victor Palla, a famous Portuguese architect, designer and illustrator, the building resembles a house-museum, located in the very heart of Aveiro, facing a small park and Aveiro’s main museum. VIC is filled with unique stories that bring out the artistic and cultural contexts of Aveiro and Portugal in the 20th Century. On the ground floor there is a small gallery showcasing the work of Vasco Branco and our own productions, an office of the Navalha Association which is responsible for cultural projects and cultural offers of VIC // Aveiro Arts House. In the basement, you can find a cinema auditorium where artists may present their audio-visual works. Constructed in 1969, equipped with 42 seats, a small bar and a projection booth, this auditorium was used as a clandestine cinema during the times of fascism and now hosts occasional events.
The art residency is situated on the 2nd floor of the Aveiro Arts House, where artists have their own private bedroom and access to a fully equipped kitchen, two complete bathrooms and a shared working space with a fast internet connection.
