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Reading time 2 min

Realized utopia

Redação Inhotim

Inhotim was created in an intuitive way; it was not the outcome of intentional, systematic planning. With the passage of time, I began to perceive that what we were putting together went beyond the nature of individual ownership. The overall set consisting of the botanical collection coupled with the art collection had a cultural value that should be an asset available to everyone.

 

Inhotim has taken on real outlines of the new model of life, which foreshadows post-contemporary life. The contact with culture, with nature, with artistic manifestations and with beauty arouses people’s curiosity and stimulates them to learn how to become better in the present and future. Inhotim is a paradigm in the world, there is nothing else like it.

 

But if all of this sounds like an utopia, I heard art critic Hans Ulrich Obrist say, when he was at Inhotim: ‘This is a realized utopia’.”

 

Want to know a little more about the philosophy of the founder of Inhotim? So watch the lecture Bernardo Paz made at the Oasis Summit, in Los Angeles/USA.

 

Reading time 3 min

Where does the name Inhotim come from?

Redação Inhotim

No one knows for sure where the name Inhotim comes from, but its origin generates a lot of curiosity among park visitors and employees. One of the best known theories relates the word to an English miner, “Sir Timothy”, who would have lived in the area where the Institute is today. The word “Sir”, translated into Portuguese as “Senhor”, was often pronounced simply as “Nho”. Thus, “Sir Timothy” would have become “Nho Tim”.

 

Another story, evidenced by a notice served on May 26, 1865, registers the existence of a place called “nhotim”, where João Rodrigues Ribeiro, son of Joaquim Rodrigues Ribeiro lived. In one of the receipts attached to the old document, there is a signature in which the location is spelled as “Nhoquim”.

 

The name “Joaquim” also appears in the story told by Dona Elsa, who lives in the Brumadinho region. She offers a variation of the version that involves the English miner, “What I remember people saying is that there was a landowner who was named Joaquim, I think, and his nickname was Tim. So, he was “Senhor Tim”, and became NHÔ TIM. In the old times, we didn’t say “senhor”, we used to say “nhô”. And that’s where the name Inhotim came from”.

 

There is also a story of the journey made by English engineer James Wells throughout Brazil between 1868 and 1886. At some point, he recalls a conversation he had with an African-Brazilian worker on a road near Brumadinho. Local mode of speech indicates that the word Inhotim may be a variation of the expression used by slaves to say yes, sir (in Portuguese: sim, senhor): “N’hor sim”. The existence of six former-slave communities in the municipality of Brumadinho, four of which are acknowledged by the Palmares formation, reinforces this hypothesis.

 

These are some of the possible explanations for the Institute’s name, collected by the Inhotim Center of Memory and Heritage (CIMP) . CIMP was created back in 2008 to rescue the region’s stories and traditions and is one of the projects carried out by the Institute with neighboring communities.

 

Have you ever heard a different story about the origin of the name Inhotim? Share it with us!

Reading time 3 min

Macaúba Palm and its fruit

Redação Inhotim

Inhotim is known for gathering one of the largest palm tree collections in the world, currently with over 700 species from several different places. Among these species is the macaúba palm (Acrocomia aculeata). The species is native to Brazil and its history at the park is quite interesting. In 2012, about 80 specimens were incorporated into the botanical garden by way of a major rescuing action carried out at a mining area near the Institute. Even though the cutting down of these specimens was environmentally authorized, they were saved and incorporated into the Institute’s landscape project.

 

Also known as bocaiúva palm or coyol palm, the macaúba palm is found practically everywhere in Brazil and pretty much everything in the plant can be used. The pulp from its fruit is used to produce flour. Rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, it can be used in juices, ice-cream, cake, bread and sweets. The leaves can be used to make fishing nets and lines. The wood, on the other hand, is used in houses and other constructions. In addition, soap, margarine and cosmetics are made with the oil extracted from the macaúba seed.

 

A imponente da palmeira macaúba. Foto: Rossana Magri
The imponent Macaúba Palm. Photo: Rossana Magri

 

Brazil currently conducts studies with macaúba focused on the production of biodiesel, a fuel made from vegetable oils. As they realize the potential of this species, scientists have been more and more enthusiastic about the results obtained in these studies. By the end of 2014 Inhotim will begin studies on the spreading of this palm tree, as seed dormancy breaking outside its natural environment is rare and little known.

 

Do you want to learn a bit more about Inhotim Botanical Garden and about the macaúba palm?  Then click here and watch the video.

Reading time 3 min

New Orchid Greenhouse at Inhotim

Redação Inhotim

Next Saturday, March 22, Inhotim Botanical Garden opens another thematic space. The new Vanda Orchid Greenhouse will gather about 350 orchids from the Vanda group, originating from Southeast Asia and Australia, and it will be the only greenhouse of the kind open to the public in Brazil. The event will be the ideal opportunity to see about 50% of these plants flowering at the same time.

 

The creation of an area dedicated to these rare orchids is part of a conservation project carried out by the Institute and intended to collaborate with the maintenance of these vulnerable species. Those visiting the Vanda Orchid Greenhouse on its opening day will have the chance to talk with orchid specialist Delfina de Araújo and discover interesting facts about these plants. The Blog do Inhotim chatted with the scholar, who gave some tips on how to cultivate this species. Check it out!

 

– The flowering of the Vandaceous lasts 40 days on average. A good tip to extend this period is to keep the plant away from lamps. The heat they emit causes flowers to dry and wither;

 

– Sun and excessive heat are also harmful because they lead to plant water loss. So keep the flowers in a cool place;

 

– The vandaceous should be watered every day, always in the morning. Use preferably a spray bottle and water them until the roots turn green and lose the pearlescent appearance;

 

– After the loss of flowers, water the plant daily and apply specific fertilizers for this species. They should be kept in a bright place, but away from direct sunlight.

 

Click here to learn more about the new Vanda Orchid Greenhouse.

Reading time 7 min

Contemporary dance at Inhotim

Redação Inhotim

Thinking about women and how they relate with space, French choreographer and dancer Cecile Proust developed the femmeuseposturalE show. Relying on a group of multigenerational professional and amateur dancers coming from different backgrounds, the performances use contemporary dance to explore issues such as the construction of the female genre. Visiting Minas Gerais for the third time, Cecile is currently making the final adjustments in the performances that will take place this week at Inhotim, on March 14 and 15. Between rehearsals in the Institute’s gardens, the choreographer took a break to talk to Blog do Inhotim. Comfortably sitting in one of the benches by Hugo França, she talked about performing at the park, as well as about her view on women in today’s society, her influences and much more.  Read everything in the interview that follows.

 

Blog do Inhotim – How did the idea for this show come about?

Cecile Proust – From the beginning, the Femmeuse evokes the question of gender, feminism, art and the connections that can be made between these points. The performances presented in femmeuseposturalE are a female answer to the work of French choreographer Fabrice Ramalingom, Postural: études, created for a group of 15 men. We made this work with choreographies presented only by women. In this work, we can find influences of Odile Duboc [French director] and American director Bob Wilson, with whom I have worked before. There are several other influences, but Brazilian painter and sculptor Lygia Clark has also brought a lot of references.

 

BI – What is your view on women in today’s society and which message does the show wish to convey in regard to women?

CP – It is hard to define the woman in today’s society with accuracy, for there are millions of them and they are all different from one another. I believe we should all just leave the word and space free for them. Each woman should be able to express herself in the several different ways she can. Therefore, we should leave this space open and let the invisible emerge within women. This is precisely what the show explores, women’s freedom of movement within the space they occupy. .

 

BI – The choreographies are performed with professional and amateur dancers, including Inhotim employees. What is the intent of this proposal?

CP – We specifically seek these different bodies working for the dance, rather than just one. This way we can bring out different experiences and effects and observe how these women’s bodies mingle with one other during the choreography. This professional-amateur relationship makes the performance unique, different in every movement, and this is reflected both for the dancers and for the audience.

 

BI – How does it feel to have Inhotim as the setting for this performance?

CP – It is wonderful. This place is truly amazing. Also, working with choreographies that involve works such as Desert Park (2010), by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Piscina (2009), by Jorge Macchi, like we are going to do, is even more interesting, since both these works have great impact on the body, on energy and on space itself. The thing is, the whole of Inhotim is exceptional and mesmerizing right off the bat. I remember when we first came here back in 2012, Jacques [Hoepffner, visual artist and partner in preparing the show] and I only had half a day to visit the park. But even though this first visit was a quick one, we looked around and said, “Wow! We want to develop a project here”. And today this has been made possible.

 

BI – What unique aspect has Inhotim brought to these performances?

CP – Well, it is important to say that the performances we will be presenting here have been created specifically for this place, and they are related to these who artworks were will be using as the setting. Even with the connections we can draw between these performances and other materials from choreographers in France, or even other works I have developed in the past, at Inhotim we have this special relationship with space, nature, the weather, the vegetation, which is totally different from what we are used to in Europe. All of this brings unique elements to the choreographies and is totally aligned with this strong relationship with the environment developed in this work.

 

BI – What are your expectations for the work at Inhotim?

CP – It is hard to foresee what is going to happen, but often what we expect changes a bit when it becomes real, which ends up being one of the most fascinating aspects of this presentation. I believe something that is interesting and very typical of the artistic work is to allow yourself to be transformed by experiences and by those working with you. Our project is totally transformed by those who take part in the presentations, as well as by the space itself. Of course we have an idea of the results, but what truly matters is this transformation and how the place can impact the performances. We are always curious to know what will happen. I think the same thing happens with the audience.

 

Are you also curious to know the result of the performance? Then, make sure to go to Inhotim and check out the femmeuseposturalE. Click here for more details on this performance.