PORTUGUESE HISTORICAL VILLAGES ASSOCIATION
Local manufacturing and innovative system – SOCIAL PROJECT
2015- Sweet Grass craft work made with may coordination in “Atelier Entrelaços” studio. Team play with Radial Redonda company, Portuguese Historical Villages Association (AHP – Aldeias Históricas de Portugal) and City Council of Sabugal.
1st December 2015: “Slippers that tell stories” presentation on the 20 Years Commemorative Session of Portuguese Historical Villages Association (AHP – Aldeias Históricas de Portugal), chaired by Portugal Republic President Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
Between 5th and 8th November: Marketing presentation on the 21th edition of International Heritage Fair in Paris (Salon International du Patrimoine Culturel – Carroussel du Louvre).
With “Slippers that tell stories” collection and sweet grass lamps presentation carried out with the collaboration of Expolux SA company and authored by Carla Madeira and Hotel Cró Architect Pedro Santos.
Between 9th and 11th October: Slippers collection public presentation in Coimbra Heritage Fair “Feira do Património em Coimbra”.
WEB SITE – HERITAGE FAIR 2015
2015 – Creation and execution coordination of “Slippers that tell stories” collection .
THE SHAPE
The pointed shoe accompanied the centuries. We found it in the Lusitanian tribes, where a pointy wooden base was used to protect and for war. In medieval times the pointed end was extremely exaggerated, in the Renaissance and Baroque was balanced with the height of the heel and the accessories while in recent centuries has followed the fashion trends.
THE CONCEPT
It is intended to base the concept of each slipper on the tangible and intangible heritage of each of the Portugal’s Historical Villages. The concept used for each of the twelve slippers passes for legends, facade decorations, traditions, musical instruments, militar uniforms, landscape textures, importante events in the history of each village as well as distinguished figures that marked our history.
What was important for the choices was its extreme representativity for each of the Historical Villages.
THE RAW MATERIAL
In design we tried to use an ancient technique of the Serra da Estrela region—the used of rags in composition of the slipper boot sole. For the visible top we chose local raw materials such as the papa blanket, burel, linen and cotton fabrics.
31st July 2015: Sortelha Tourist Office “Portuguese Historic Villages Association” formal inauguration ceremony;
(Presentation and commercialization of of fashion accessories collection and sweet grass pieces)
Between 14th and 19th July 2015: Fashion accessories collection presentation in Aveiro Fashion Event (Aveiro Moda);
(Authorship and coordination of sweet grass studio – “Atelier Entrelaços” – and needlework studio – “Atelier Vestir a História” – for the collection creation and execution)
26th June 2015: Creative Designers Workshop conception, implementation and formation in Sortelha.
(Workshop produced to informe designers of the Sweet grass (Stipa gigantea) characteristics, traditional basketry and some innovation and materials tested by me)
13th June 2015: Cró Termal Hotel formal inauguration ceremony, with the oficial presence of the Regional Development Assistant Minister and Doctorate Professor Miguel Poiares Maduro, Committee Coordination and Regional Center Development Chairman Ana Abrunhosa e Turism Center President Pedro Machado.
(Hotel decoration responsability, with craft work made in “Atelier Entrelaços”. The author’s pieces presented were made by Carla Madeira and Architect Pedro Santos, author of the Hotel architectur design)
May 2015: Workshop and presentation produts in Fit (Feira Ibérica de Turismo);
20th March 2015: Linhares da Beira Tourist Office “Portuguese Historic Villages Association” formal inauguration ceremony with produts made on Sweet Grass and Needlework Studios.
12th April 2015: The Studio of Needlework named “Dress with History” of Portuguese Historic Villages Association, located in Belmonte, began to work in may produts collections.
Between 2nd and 6th March 2015: Products presentation in Lisbon tourism fair named BTL (Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa) on the Portuguese Historic Villages Association (AHP – Aldeias Históricas de Portugal) stand.
(First presentation and commercialization initiative of craft work made of the Studio of Sweet Grass – “Atelier Entrelaços”)
8th February 2015: The Studio of Sweet Grass – “Atelier Entrelaços” of Portuguese Historic Villages Association beginning, after craftspeople recruitment.
(Sweet Grass Studio – “Atelier Entrelaços” – located in Sortelha village (Sabugal))
From November to January; (2015) : I Like This magazine presentation of sweet grass and pottery objects.
8th October 2014: Workshop of dyeing with plastic artist Daniel Martins.
From 10th July to 12th October(,) 2014: Sweet grass and pottery objects presentation in Guimarães Heritage Fair.
WEB SITE – HERITAGE FAIR 2014
September 2014: Sweet grass and pottery objects presentation in Arganil.
2014 – Author piece creation entitled “The Eternal Kiss” based on Sortelha’s village love legend, made in the Sweet Grass Studio.
THE ETERNAL KISS LEGEND: Many moons ago, back in the days of fairies and magic, the mayor of Sortelha was married to a virtuous and much-loved fairy. They had only one child, a beautiful daughter. Sadly, it was not a peaceful time. The Moors and Christians were fighting over land in Portugal and a Moorish army had been holding the Christian stronghold of Sortelha under siege for months. During this time, the dutiful daughter and the leader of the army, a handsome prince, had fallen hopelessly in love. One night, her mother, the fairy, awoke with a startle having had a premonition that her daughter was planning to run away with the man who was both an enemy and an infidel. .By the time she reached the village walls and looked out over the hillside, she saw that her chaste, respectable daughter was already in the arms of her lover and engrossed in a passionate kiss. Shocked and horrified at the scene below, the fairy waved her magic wand without thinking and the rebel prince and the mayor’s daughter were never seen again. In the place where they had been kissing, two boulders lie together in what the locals call um beijo eterno, an eternal kiss.
From 14th July to 13th October(,) 2014: Training in Sortelha village, through the Historical Villages of Portugal Association, Sabugal Chamber and Institute of Employment and Professional Training (Instituto de Emprego e Formação Proffisional – IEFP) to ensure a production of design objects with sweet grass (endemic plant traditionally used in basketry).
Until 30th June (,) 2014: Workshop ceramics object finalisation, created with created with the plastic artist, Valerie Censier and the architect Nuno Morais, under the name “Ti Brick System” . This object system has been presented in Arganil and Guimarães.
Ti Brick is a system that joins a cylindrical to a parallelepiped piece, with numerous possibilities of use both indoors and outdoors. In its conception we used the red clay of Castelo Rodrigo village and ancestral techniques.
The system was designed to be used in construction as a design piece. For that this system was conceived to be reproduced using mold techniques. The prevailing white glaze is referred to as “craquelê”. This white glaze allows to create walls with high reflection of light which can have very interesting uses in low-tech architecture. Depending on whether it is filled with water, soil or sand, the system will have different acoustic, thermal and or water conduction behaviors. The round pieces are prepared to be lit by the light of oil lamp and the remaining colors can vary and adapt.
From 30th to 31st May (,) 2014: Participation in the Creative Design – Ceramics Atelier Workshop, held in Castelo Rodrigo village (Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo) by Portuguese Historic Villages Association, in order to create and secure a design line of furniture and decoration.
From 21st to 23rd March 2014: Participation in the sweet grass (Stipa gigantea) “Between Ties” Workshop held in Sortelha (Sabugal) village by Portuguese Historic Villages Association, in order to create and secure a design line of furniture and decoration.
CarlaMarisaMadeira 