The custom café is a post-apocalyptic space where everything happens at once and no one is indifferent. It's a strange world, alternative, which combines many arts synchronized to create a very special and dynamic imagery, created by nirvana production, in Oeiras.
How did you start the adventure of custom cafe?
Michel Alex: We'll have to go back many years. It's an adventure that begins in 1988, I and my partner Rui worked for a French nomadic company called "Archaos," which gave rise to an aesthetic language and dramatic post-apocalyptic, used in the movie "Mad Max" and also "waterworld of "Kevin Kostner. It is this entire universe, this language that is closely linked to the past and It is implemented in a future world where reconstruction will discover elements of this industrial past. The "Archaos," however, ended and eventually we started working with other companies in several countries and we always kept true to that language. Then we began a partnership with Daniela and the "Furia del Baus". Over time harbored the dream of founding our own company and after years of traveling we wanted being able to stop and to recreate this imaginary where we live every day. Honestly. So we are not only artists on stage. Our life is fueled by this language. We live still, surrounded by trucks, by rulotes, for all this machinery that goes into our shows. In our music, movies, or all that surrounds us daily.
How is that you go to Oeiras, back to Portugal?
MA: Basically we returned in 2004, because of the euro, we had several customers that were connected to the event and we did a lot of multimedia, street shows and large ones. We had many events of great format that made us come to Portugal. I was precisely then that we found this space that was a former military barracks, which was left in ruins, was a fluke.
When you chose this area, how many were you?
MA: At the time the company had 30 people at present are 12, although many members drifted into other projects that are still here, as are custom bikes. Many of them worked with us in the preparation of the performances on wheel, the trucks. They also show the bikes, the Harley, go to concentrations and win prizes of "customs bikes," are artists who have increasingly more demand. Developed their studio, their name, their brand and obviously still come in larger shows. But in the day-to-day dedicate themselves to their own work.
The custom cafe is one of the studios and the rest?
MA: There's plenty of space outdoors, which is very important to us for conventions, events for companies. It has parking for several vehicles and buses, it is also where we keep our trucks. The custom cafe has about 500 square meters.
How many shows are held each year?
MA: It varies a lot. Every Saturday we do a show here. Half are private events for companies, closing the space, or weddings and multinationals linked to fashion.
That is, you offer a kind of menu with several options?
MA: Yes, exactly. The show is sold with the room and then there is a catering service that does not depend on us. We have several portfolio companies, and the client gets the service that best suits his profile.
The nirvana production is self-sustaining, never benefited from any government support.
You try that?
MA: Yes, the former ministry of culture has always looked to us like very strange people (laughs) Very counter culture for several years we try to apply and quickly realized that we never would be supported. They never wanted to come here. We always try to explain strangely they never appeared and no one assessed whether the project was indeed valid. In this space already built two theaters, which has proper equipment and the stage and they never came to see this, we are ten kilometers from Lisbon and nobody came here. So we decided since as nomads to follow our path. We always had a large component of multidisciplinary, not only on the artistic side, but in life. In the morning we woke up and even though there is no show today, there is much to weld, paint and here for everyone works. The secret is this.
It's kind of arts cooperative. You keep the trucks to continue roaming the country, even internationally?
MA: We go everywhere, at any time may get a booking, including in Angola, USA, Germany, we go where they call us. Of course for most of the shows outside of Europe go by plane, but there have been situations where we crossed the whole continent with multiple vehicles. The trucks are also part of the show. Even here, companies appear with 1,500 people and we would do it outdoors. It's called performance on wheels. The public can circulate freely through the middle.
I realized that this is a multimedia show.
MA: The custom cafe presents a resident show that is very multimedia and has several hubs of activity. The music is played live, everything is synchronized with a movie, the artists act is among the public. Everything happens at once, pyrotechnics, film, music and dance. People end up diving in the world itself, which is prepared right at the entrance. Everyone gets the coordinates of this imaginary and is part of it.
http://www.customcircus.com/
