A Look at the Portuguese World

 

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Yvette Vieira

Yvette Vieira

Friday, 15 March 2013 19:33

From the dude all good to the world

 

Luis Santos had an unusual idea, which combined with his degree in marketing and experience in managing brand image in social networks, the project helped create the "portuguese sayings" which translates literally to English Portuguese idioms printed on clothing. A national brand is already a success internationally.

How did you come out with this idea for the project "Portuguese sayings"?
Luis Santos: On September 23rd, 2012, at the time was unemployed, the idea of translating Portuguese sayings to English literally came as I remember my childhood, when I began to learn the language, me and my friends used to do this as a joke, because we thought it was fun. Then I decided to put images associated with sayings on facebook, combining the knowledge I have of social networks, since I worked in that area. The aim was for people to share and make more suggestions.

Later, there were some issues related to copyright, in terms of the images.
LS: It was not a problem of copyright, but as I wanted my project to be unique and I would present it at TEDx, they warned me about this issue. It is after all an international company and conversations are broadcast around the world, it was suitable that such problems did not arise. At first the project was illustrated with images found on the internet and I did not know whether they had or not copyrighted, so I decided to embark on a new path, create a unique image for the "sayings".

After that arises the partnership with the two designers?
LS: The partnership arose from the desire to have original illustrations. Diana Barreiro is one of the first people who worked with me, is my friend and illustrator, then she did two drawings for ''I am as good as corn" and "are you're armed in a racing mackerel" that were later use for the sale of t-shirts. Cristina Nunes, is another face of this partnership, which also illustrates a few phrases, including "you can take the little horse out of the rain" and "I don't play in service" and both have been very successful.

And the shirts, robes and tunics?
LS: When I created the page, after a while, the fans began asking when I decided to launch a brand of t-shirts because they liked the phrases and wanted to "use" them. I started thinking about this subject and created the online store, then, did the partnership with the designers. We made a deal, they earn a percentage on the sale of sweaters that they illustrated.
What has been the feedback after you throw the collections online?
LS: The feedback regarding the shop itself has been positive, people like, but now with the economic crisis say they are a bit expensive. Initially, the online store was not prepared to sell to everyone; they could only buy the products at a national level. As I had many requests for Portuguese emigrants I adapted it and now I get requests from Belgium, England, and USA. The "portuguese sayings" are already spread all over the globe.

Friday, 15 March 2013 19:29

Comedies of minho

The session has the presence of the director and the artistic director of "comedies do Minho" João Pedro Vaz, on 18th of March at 21:30 in the Auditorium of Musical Miragaia.

The documentary of Sofia Marques originated in the filming of the rehearsals of the show "Comedies of Minho" which recreated the story of the legend Deu-la-Deu, the heroin of the village of Minho, Monção, which won the Spanish siege her cunning during the time of Ferdinand Wars in the fourteenth century. During the time spent in Monsoon in 2009, the director also filmed the daily life the village recovering this imaginary almost into disuse. The typographer, the tailor, the brass band, the baking of the bread, the fair, the figures of the procession - filming each face up close. The composite picture is so fresh of the people that tell the tale and discuss their relations with the neighboring Galicia. Imagine the intimate diary of a village surrounded by mountains, almost frozen in time, where the word hurry doesn't exists and where the stories are told in the warmed corner of the fireplace. Come witness this visual portrait of an endangered Portugal.

Friday, 15 March 2013 19:22

National art in brasil


Fatima Spinola is one of fine artists selected for the exhibition "Interart 2013 - Portuguese artists in Brazil," which also includes the participation of Gama Dinis, Sonia Santos and Carlos Reyes. An exhibition with 40 works in display, which begins on March 12th, but will be open to the public until the 12th of April, in the space of the architects in São Paulo.

How does arise this invitation to exhibit in Sao Paulo?
Fatima Spinola: It happens through the cyberspace. This is an invitation from the curator Djanira Costa. She's been following my work over the internet, asked me to submit a proposal and selected some works for this show in Sao Paulo.

How many works of art have you presented and which were selected?
FS: All I presented were chosen. Eight engravings. Were works of 2008.

Why engraving?
FS: Mainly because of the transportation of the work had to be proper them to the specific situation of this exhibition.

Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:52

Lust and gluttony

It is a national monument and a world heritage sites of UNESCO.

The monastery of Alcobaça although housed the white monks and its architecture initially reflected the Benedictine rule of seeking isolation, humility and modesty after centuries of armed conflict, natural disasters and changes little or nothing remains of these godly characteristics in this imposing monument. At the entrance, we encounter its sweeping staircase and a façade with Baroque elements, but are not of architectural features I wish to speak about. The interior of this monument is worth a caveat for its sadly dramatic past that hides behind the thick old walls. The most famous lovers of Portugal rest here in eternal peace, on one of the wings of the tombs of the kings. Dona Ines de Castro, a lady of the Spanish court and Dom Pedro, crown prince could not live thru their great love, who won contours of legend when his majesty after climbing to the throne of Portugal decided to crown his lover, Queen, killed by treachery, and forced all the nobility, the clergy and people to pay her homage as if she was alive. Of this trail of extreme passion all is left is the sarcophagi, where both are buried, it has a very unique characteristic, according to the strict specifications of the king, both figures are flanked by carved angels holding the couple heads until the doomsday when they rise up together to look each other into the eyes! If this is not love then I do not know what is! The fact is that many young couples choose the monastery for their weeding day wrapped in the nature of this bloody romance, a story without a happy ending, well, it depends on your point of view.

 

Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:48

There is no beauty without john

It is a variety show of the private channel TVI.

"There is no beauty without John" is one of those television formats that I cannot categorize, I decided to write varieties, but I'm not sure if this is the correct term for that sort of show. It's kind of humorous, kind contest and half kind of a program that debuted in another private channel. In my view it is a big mess of genres into one that ultimately does not work, or rather stumbling works, because the audience that always followed the careers of comedians Joao Paulo Rodrigues and Pedro Alves do not watch this type of programs. The presence of Marisa Cruz does nothing to make this "there is no beauty without John" more credible, she looks like a clown in the bad sense of the word. I am a big fan of Quim Roscas and Zeca Estacionancio and I was very disappointed with this format, they deserved its own program and this program is neither meat nor fish, do you understand what I mean?

Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:44

The sotisphicated discretion

  

Anabela Baldaque is one of the most renowned designers nationally. Her collections reflect a fluid atmosphere, calm, but at the same time cosmopolitan, full of positive energy and a lot of personality. Her garments recognize the female form through a combination of fabrics and colors that has achieved huge success among Portuguese women.

Looking back are there any unrealized projects?
Anabela Baldaque: Yes, of course, many projects are started and not finished and there are still other dreams unfulfilled. Were some things undone, even looking back, a line of lingerie that was always something I wanted to do, for example. Another project was an approach to a footwear company that did not go well.
And the brand Anabela Baldaque is everything you dreamed?
AB: It's much more than what I dreamed. Quite honestly I never looked so far, that the brand was recognized abroad the way it did. I always worked hard and my main goal professionally is to be good at what I do, but have managed to get where I am, no.

Let's talk a little of the collections. Who is the woman Anabela Baldaque?
AB: At the outset it is a demanding woman, who likes to present herself well, and has a very feminine personality. This I notice directly on my clients they are people who know what they want and they choose a brand they identify with them. They like to adapt their personal style to the clothes. I think this is an asset for the brand, make room for the person who purchased to have the soul of the one who wears it and I think I achieved that.
Do you think that the change of the role of women in Portuguese society has something to do with it?
AB: Yes, no doubt about it. Women now have more autonomy and have prominent roles in society, extra work outside the home. All such women could orient themselves well in my clothing brand. Had a lot to do with it.

Your brand is urban or goes beyond that?
AB: It is in the sense that urban is cosmopolitan and the city, but internalizes a certain kind of approach more ephemeral, more pleasant, and relaxed.
That's why choosing the fabrics are more fluid, delicate and rich? It is one of the features that can be observed across all collections.
AB: I think I know what you mean, something that is calm, flowing. It is the essence of the brand, the collection. And it's true that I dedicate much time to the choice of fabrics and maybe this note is on the runway. After, I harmonize it in a way that you can see beyond them, to see the form itself. It is an atmosphere, a climate. I think this actually happens.

So to create a collection you chose primarily the fabrics, or an idea comes and then you create the pieces? How does the creative process occur?
AB: I do not do it the same way. Sometimes I choose a theme and try to find fabrics that go along with the idea. However, at other times, I feel a little disoriented because I like so much the raw material and I end up not finding suitable fabrics for shapes that I recreated. So I end up doing further research or a personal transformation in each tissue. I remember now a collection inspired by painter Ana Vidigal and I could not find textiles as she does with her paintings, I had to recreate on top of things that already existed. Or, I have to match the fabrics and colors and then recreate the environment below. There are plenty of both versions; I don't have the same pattern of inspiration. Fashion is so. We cannot be girded by the same; we have to keep an open mind. It's a creative process that I love, because I'm always growing and this is very good.



Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:41

The smal drawers of love

It was a record released in 2011 by singer Viviane.

This is one of the most charismatic female voices of the Portuguese sound universe. Viviane is a reference to the pop music of the 90s thanks to the "quotation marks" a band who she helped found and became one of the icons groups of the national music scene thanks to songs like "a flower", "perfume", "stumbled on the night, "among others. After fifteen years, Viviane seeks new challenges and decides to launch a solo career that stands out from the previous period by a radical change in terms of musical language, she starts to play fado, tango and the "chanson française" styles that are very present in this third album. "The small drawers of love" is an allusion to the vinyl records of her father she found in the drawers at home. This is an album full of great drama as she defines it, underlined by the sound of the Portuguese guitar and the accordion. It's work with a certain lost romanticism, a certain melancholy, very present in the way Viviane sings some of the songs, like "I left the window ajar" or "urgent" or "whisper the last song." Above all this record reflects her voice that gives a peculiar tonality that transport us for environments laden with smoke that have disappeared, but they are printed in this discographic panel full of charm.
http://www.viviane.com.pt/discos

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Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:36

Armed women

Resulted from a series of interviews that journalist Isabel Lindim made to a group of Portuguese women who were part of the revolutionary brigades. An armed organization that wanted to undermine the foundations of the dictatorship and end the colonial war, seen from the point of view of a woman, written by a woman and reported by some of these anonymous heroes of the revolution.

You thought it was important to write "armed women" because it often ignores the role of women in the most important moments of Portuguese history?
Isabel Lindim: The idea to write the book came after start doing interviews with participants of the brigades, one way or another involved in the actions. When I started making a list of possible interviews with my mother and Carlos Antunes, appeared a huge number of name of women. So, then I thought it showed something else about the organization. I spoke with my mother on how indeed women participated in the Revolutionary Brigades (RB) and the Revolutionary Party of the Proletariat (RPP), which was different from other organizations. One of the interviewees had a nephew editor, who suggested publishing a book. I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about these two issues just discussed, armed organizations struggling in Portugal before April 25th and the role of women in these organizations. I'm sorry I have not gotten all, were more involved in the RB.

Do you think that some of these women continue to want to remain anonymous as the result of a sexist and oppressive society that tended to devalue the role of women in society and that somehow this was all unconsciously imprint and as such continue to disregard that their input was not important?
IL: All of them are aware of having had an important role in the corrosion of the dictatorship and the end of the colonial war. The fact that three of them wanting anonymity have more to do to their professions with some public exposure. They could now be the target of nasty comments. I do not think that has to do with machismo, I also interviewed the men who prefer anonymity. There are women who are intimidated with the judgments.

When we read about the testimonies we got the idea that these women are from another country other and not from the country of the mild manners, seems almost unreal. You had that impression, or not? And if not, what were your first thoughts as you'd be collected these testimonies?
IL: Listening to the stories in the first person was very rewarding. They all surprised me, not only by the actions in which they participated, with great courage, but also by women who are and have become. Teachers, doctors, producers, all without political involvement after the revolution. This shows that they are special people, who saw it as an opportunity for action to overthrow the dictatorship and end the war. While doing the interviews I could have an increasingly elucidated idea of the environment at the time, the day-to-day. And then I had other surprises, facts about the dictatorship that we heard but only when the source is in the first person is when we capture well the notion that time. To give you an idea of the surprises that I was having one of the women who arrived in Lisbon coming from Mozambique in 1962 wore trousers in the early days, because it was cold, it was in November. Was chased down the street and at the door of the university, where she was studying, was barred by the doorman who told her that only men could wear pants. That and other encounter with the police force in universities was enough for her to become one of the biggest supporters for RB.

Regarding still the RB, there are some that impress me, such as Joan II, who pretends to be pregnant and in the belly takes a set of fake bombs to put in the bathroom in the Ministry of Health or Paula Viana, who had to put a portfolio with explosives near a door inside the barracks, because behind that door was a list of nearby soldiers to be sent to war.

The collection of documents and testimonies took how long? And what were the biggest obstacles you felt during this whole process before the writing itself?
IL: The collection of documents began six years ago when the Institute of Social Sciences in the Netherlands became interested in the archival material of RB and the RPP. Carlos Antunes propose me be me organize the material and scan it before sending to Holland. I ended up joining the Mário Soares Foundation in this task, which proved to be larger and more complex than I thought, because they have an excellent history file developed by Dr. Alfredo Caldeira. I felt not great obstacles, except the collection of material that long look; the records of clandestine radio Algiers Voice of Freedom. I know they exist, because they were part of the PIDE bugged system and there excerpts written reports sent to Salazar, I just do not know where they are.

Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:34

Trance

It is a film about human trafficking by director Teresa Villaverde.

"Trance" is above all an excellent film performance of the dual Teresa Villaverde and Ana Moreira. This is their second film collaboration, after an interlude of eight years, which in my view confirmed the talent of both to transpose to the screen mundane stories and great anonymous characters, it is a perfect partnership. This film is a hard, cold and raw that addresses the issue of prostitution without camouflaging it. It's the dark side of an evolved society that ignores the human trafficking that exploits with impunity women in a precarious situation, both economic and social terms. In "trance", Ana Moreira composes Sonia, a young Russian woman, from St. Petersburg, who decides to emigrate in search of a better life, only to end up entangled in an international prostitution networks. A lonely and physically nightmare so painful that she can only escape it by closing herself, in her personal hallucinations, her very own trance running as an escape from the everyday life almost intolerable. When Teresa Villaverde began writing the script for "trance", only had one actress in mind, Ana Moreira, who for a year had to learn Russian to create a more credible character. The choice of the filmmaker could not have been more correct, the actress gave herself totally to this Sonia, the film lives and breathes thanks to the plans of the beautiful face of actress and dreamlike landscapes that enhance the dramatic tone of the film. I'd say it's a masterpiece of Portuguese cinema, so take step and see it. Good movie!

Thursday, 07 March 2013 22:28

Sara of every day

 

Sara Osorio created an alter ego named sara-a-days, a strip of comics, reflecting on life in a humorous way with a pinch of irony. This is a girl who loves her family but is daily confronted with the unusual challenges of her youth. So come and meet her creator.

Who is this girl sara-a-days?
Sara Osorio: This girl has been around for 26 years and this alter-ego only emerged a year, in March 2012. In the background turns out to be confessional, is a space where I tell my adventures all the moments I had, the contact with other people on a day-to-day bases, is like a blender where we put all the juices in and the end we have a smoothie. It is an explosion of creativity and in the middle appears the things that happen to me.

A sara-a-days has a certain corrosive and black humor, was always the initial idea?
SO: Being a bit autobiographical is just a little extension of me. I've always been like that and so is not something I do on purpose, it arises spontaneously.

When you had the idea for this character, why comics? It is unusual to see female comic's designers.
SO: I've always been more connected the arts, despite not having followed that area. Always drawn since my childhood, only it got to the point that my artistic side fell asleep and did not have so many drawings but by chance I missed it. Later, wanted to follow the area of design, but when I applied to college I realized I did not have the necessary disciplines to follow the course I wanted. It was stifling my desire and when I left the university and entered the working world, I think that my creative side called for me. I am very communicative and always shared my stories with my friends and one day, it was a habit of mine, I decided to share it with the rest of the world and the bug started there. Then I started having more and more followers and I them I realize the feedback from people who felt identified with some situations that I caricature and you end up pulling through dialogue and thus sara-a-days become more interactive.

FaLang translation system by Faboba

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