The artistic residency “Astronomia”, taking place in Aldeia do Xisto de Fajão, in the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, and in the UNESCO World Star Geopark, from 17 to 29 July, is the first event to take place in the national territory within the scope of the project “Dwelling and moving in mountain territories”, applied by PES – Projeto Entre Serras, to the Europa Criativa program.
Over two weeks, Serbian-Dutch artist Katarina Petrović travels to Portugal to explore the relationship between heaven and earth, art and science, landscape, and natural phenomena. In recent years, her research has focused on phenomena such as the Airy Disk. “If we dedicate ourselves to a single discipline, just to art or just to science, knowledge is incomplete”, considers Katarina Petrovic. It is for this reason that, in her work, she seeks to reconcile “various areas and establish links between them”, such as, for example, between art and science. In addition to Airy’s Disco, Katarina is also curious to develop work on the so-called “green light”. As she explains, this is a phenomenon that occurs at sunset, when, for a few seconds, a green circle forms. At the presentation conference for this artistic residency, the artist was enthusiastic about the project and the possibility of continuing the research that she has been developing in recent years.
According to Bruno Ramos, coordinator of ADXTUR – Agency for the Tourist Development of Schist Villages, there are several factors that justify the realization of this artistic residency in this territory. “This attitude of experimentation and artistic and scientific welcome is part of the Aldeias do Xisto matrix. We have known for a long time that this immersion is necessary to find new products, new goods, and new development paths”, he begins by referring. The theme to be explored in this project, “Dwelling and moving in mountain territories”, also meets this immersion logic. “A different rhythm is needed to understand what the landscape is and what the territory is. With mechanization, we started to have a utilitarian vision of the landscape and we defend that it is necessary to be, stay and walk towards a different vision”, she adds. The fact that Aldeias do Xisto is certified as a Starlight Tourist Destination and the development of projects in that context that involve art, science, and pedagogy is yet another argument in favor of this initiative.
“Here there is a very peculiar telluric atmosphere”, underlines Rui Simão, councilor of Pampilhosa da Serra City Council. “Bringing scientific knowledge to our processes of searching for new paths, but also the sensitivity of artists, is a way of transforming knowledge into social phenomena”, he considers. Rui Simão also underlines that by joining “art, science, and local experiences, we show new worlds to those who are here and open doors to others who seek their world”.
Carlos Casteleira, from PES, also believes that “the artistic dimension in science is essential”, even considering that “without the issue of sensitivity, so associated with art, science is not viable”. It is thus an “inescapable relationship for knowledge”.
“As a UNESCO territory, Estrela Geopark is a territory of education, science and culture” and, therefore, its performance “goes far beyond the enhancement of rocks”, explains Lucas César, from Estrela Geopark. By joining this project, he thus assumes the mission of “valuing biodiversity and the populations that occupied the territory and that used the rock as a resource and also the sky as a territory”.
A symbiotic experience with places
This initiative corresponds to the first two phases of a proposal by CAIRN – Centro de Arte Informal de Pesquisa sobre Natureza, one of the project’s partners, and which foresees three moments of work.
In the first phase, which takes place from the 17th to the 23rd of July, the artist sets up shop in Aldeia do Xisto de Fajão, in the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, one of the best places in the world to observe the dark sky and, therefore, certified as a Destination Tourist Starlight. Here, Katarina will explore the various dimensions of a project that goes beyond mere observation to assume itself as a strategic bet that reconciles tourism development, integration with the scientific and technological system, social and environmental sustainability, training people, and stimulus to the economy.
For this, she is invited to learn about the projects underway in the village and to visit the PASO -Pampilhosa da Serra Space Observatory, a unique equipment in the Northern Hemisphere that allows monitoring space debris capable of damaging satellites. The tourist dimension of the project is made known through a night canoeing experience, in the Santa Luzia Dam, which includes an astronomical observation.
From Aldeias do Xisto, Katarina Petrović heads to Estrela Geopark, to explore Serra da Estrela and, in particular, the relationship between astronomy and the highest mountain in mainland Portugal, which is even evident in its toponymy. She also has the opportunity to access and use the Viewpoint and Astronomical Observatory of Travancinha, which recently received new equipment for use by researchers and visitors.
In this region, the artistic residency ends with a walk, scheduled for July 29, to visit the Rossim Fireflies, a work by Erik Samakh, which consists of installing small points of light powered by solar energy, which, during the night, imitate the pulse of the firefly, creating poetic places and providing locals and visitors with a symbiotic experience with the surroundings.
The third and final part of this residency ends in 2024, in Digne-les-Bains, a city in the south of France with a strong presence of the philosopher and astronomer Pierre Gassendi. At the invitation of CAIRN, Katarina will join researchers at the Saint Michel Observatory, where, in 1995, the first exoplanet was discovered.
It is expected that the work developed in this artistic residency will be part of events in Castelo Branco and/or Malpartida de Cáceres.
Katarina Petrović
Katarina Petrović is a Serbian-Dutch artist who creates process-based works that explore the relationship between language and natural phenomena, interweaving art, science, humanities, and technology. In recent years, her research has focused on phenomena such as the Airy Disk, through which light diffracts to produce a kind of circular halo around the sun. In June of this year, she inaugurated a solo exhibition at the Cultural Center of Belgrade, with a parallel program at the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, where she presented the most recent research on this phenomenon. Given the nature of her work, she frequently comes into contact with scientists and astrophysicists.
Entre Serras Project – Creative Europe
The Entre Serras Project – Creative Europe takes place under the global theme “Dwelling and moving in mountain territories” and brings together partners from Portugal, Spain, and France, to question the relationship between the look and experience of the landscape.
In Portugal, the project is led by the Instituto Politécnico Técnico de Lisboa, through the Landscape Museum. The Schist Villages, the UNESCO World Star Geopark, and the Castelo Branco City Hall are joined by the Fábrica da Criatividade. The French partners are the Municipality of Digne-les-Bains, in the Alpes de Haute Provence, through CAIRN – Informal Art Center for Research on Nature, Maison Alexandra David-Neel and the Musée Gassendi, and the École Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence. The Spanish partners are the Museo Vostell Malpartida and the Municipality of Malpartida de Cáceres, through the Centro de Vias Pecuárias.
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