Iberian Suite – Global Arts Remix
Iberian Suite – Global Arts Remix
at Kennedy Center
March 3–24, 2015
Arte Institute collaborates with the Kennedy Center in the festival “Iberian Suite: Arts Remix” that takes place on March 2015, in Washington. Arte Institute’s program counts with four installations in different locations at the Kennedy Center, and five concerts at Millenium Stage.
This program has the high patronage sponsorship of FLAD – Luso-American Development Foundation
The installations consist in:
. Installation “The Stone Raft” by the Portuguese, Pritzker Prize winners, architects Souto Moura and Siza Vieira.
The installation “The Stone Raft”, made of Portuguese stone, is based on Jose Saramago’s book with the same title and will be in exhibition at the exterior front of the Kennedy Center. This installation had the sponsorship of Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) and SOLANCIS, which donated all the Portuguese stones that compose the installation.
. Installation – Hall of homage to Fernando Pessoa – “A journey of Imagination”
Arte Institute challenged the fine artist and designer, to create a real size cork tram, which symbolizes the power of the books and literature in transporting us to journeys of our imagination, basically alluding to Lisbon and Fernando Pessoa as well. The tram conveys Fernado Pessoa’s message, used as Arte Institute’s motto since the beginning, “the man has the size of his dream”. With this installation Arte Institute also intends to show the American public a way of employ a traditional Portuguese material, as cork, but giving it a modern and contemporary usage.
In that hall, there will be a cork station with panels from the artist Manuela Pimentel who works the idea of Azulejo (painted, tin-glazed tile work) in a contemporary way. The artist also has an installation where we can listen to Fernando Pessoa’s poems and Portuguese popular sayings. This installation had the support of Sofalca, which donated all the cork, and TNT.
. Installation of Portuguese stone at the Hall of States.
At the Hall of States, the Portuguese stone will be present in the entire exhibition, where mannequins from all around the world are exhibited, inspired by Portuguese and Spanish themes, and counting with the presence of the Portuguese designers ‘Storytailors’. This installation also had the sponsorship of SOLANCIS, donors of the Portuguese stone.
. Children’s Space.
The space dedicated to children, where the little ones can know more about the Iberian culture, is also made of cork, showing the potentialities and new usages for this material. Arte Institute also exhibits an educational video about the cork’s production process. This installation also had the support of Sofalca, Nova Cortiça and TNT.
Regarding the concerts, Arte Institute presents with FLAD’s sponsorship:
. Rodrigo Leão
. António Zambujo
. The Gift
. Sofia Ribeiro
. Luisa Sobral
Concerts are free and open to the public.
During the opening dinner of the event, a presentation of the work of VJ Pedro Zaz will take place, by invitation from Arte Institute, who developed a video mapping presentation, inspired in Vista Alegre’s patterns, which tries to give a contemporary look to the traditional, telling the history and presence of the Portuguese throughout the world.
The play “Ode Marítima” by Diogo Infante is also part of the program. Arte Institute is responsible for the tour of this play in New York at Alvin Ailey. This tour has the sponsorship of Caixa Geral de Depósitos.
About the relevance of this event, Ana Ventura Miranda, founder and director of the Institute, states:
“An event in the US at one of its bigger venues – Kennedy Center, where we intend to showcase Portugal, foreseeing the presence of half a million spectators in Washington where all the correspondents of the world are present, is extremely important to Portugal and is a privileged window to the country, to our artists and also to different sectors of our economy. Events like this are important to the knowledge of the country itself, and to fortify the brand Portugal, so necessary in a country of the size of a continent as the US.”
Regarding the programming of Arte Institute, Ana Miranda enhances: “Arte Institute is very proud to have the architects Souto Moura and Siza Vieira working in this installation, in a challenge against the clock, which demonstrated not only their talent and professionalism, but above all, their generosity and dedication. For me personally, as director of Arte Institute, and as I have said several times, the example of these two architects and the way they work and help each other, should be the great example for Portugal to understand that when we work conjointly and help one another, the results are extraordinary and everybody wins, especially the country. Arte Institute’s invitation was primarily addressed to the architect Souto Moura who has always been a big supporter of the Institute and promptly asked us if he could invite architect Siza. For me, the most remarkable moment of this event was exactly that moment when architect Souto, in the middle of the Hall of States, asked me if he could invite Siza, to which I emotionally replied that my dream in regard to Portugal was exactly that: to see the country working as him and architect Siza, with that generosity they employ to encourage each other to do better, and the outcome is always to get further, stronger.”
Please check the full Program of the Festival
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