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Reading time 4 min

Naná Vasconcelos in Brumadinho

Redação Inhotim

“The body is the best tool, the rest is a consequence of it”.That is how musician Naná Vasconcelos, one of the greatest percussionists in the world, opened his percussion workshop in the former-slave community of Marinhos, district of Brumadinho, which took place on 08/30. In the afternoon, children and youths taking part in Inhotim’s percussion musical initiation project could talk to the artist and find out new ways to make music.

 

First, the rhythm was marked with the feet. Then, Naná encouraged them all to use their hands, and, finally, their voices. No traditional musical instruments were used.This composition of movements and sounds allowed participants to become aware of their own bodies, as well as to work on respiratory awareness and on the sense of group. Even though the gestures were simple, they carry the strength of Afro-Brazilian musicality, which is a striking feature of the former-slave culture, and are essential to preserve this culture. “Here, in the community, we are born with music being part of us.It is a gift that is passed on generation after generation by the Congado and Mozambique Guards”, says 14-year old Rhayane Estefanie Alves, who took part in the workshop and participates in Inhotim’s percussion project..

 

Rhayane Estefanie Alves, integrante do projeto de percussão do Inhotim. Foto: Rossana Magri
Rhayane Estefanie Alves, participant of Inhotim’s percussion project. Photo: Rossana Magri

No domingo, Naná Vasconcelos abriu a programação de grandes shows do Inhotim em Cena. Acompanhado do multi-instrumentista Lui Coimbra, o percussionista levou o berimbau da capoeira para o centro do palco, nos jardins do Instituto. Em uma mistura de brasilidade e som erudito, planejamento e improvisação, os artistas criaram um repertório singular que emocionou o público. “Percussão é símbolo de vida. Se não tiver percussão, quer dizer, se o coração não bater, não tem vida”, define Naná.

 

Naná Vasconcelos fez show nos jardins do Inhotim no domingo, como parte da programação do Inhotim em Cena. Foto: Daniela Paoliello.
Naná Vasconcelos performed in the gardens of Inhotim on Sunday.  Photo: Daniela Paoliello.

Inhotim em Cena 2014 is supported by the Federal Act for Cultural Incentive, Ministry of Culture. It is brought to you by Pirelli, sponsored by Correios and supported by Saritur. Be sure to check out the upcoming shows of Inhotim em Cena! Click here and see the program.

aqui e veja a programação.

Reading time 4 min

Travel log

Alice Dias

As I write this testimonial, I´m still very moved by the flood of emotions we´ve experienced in the past few days. These days were filled with many “first times” for most of the eight teenagers taking part in Laboratório Inhotim. Their first trip outside the state of Minas Gerais, first plane trip, first ride on the subway, first time in a foreign country. That is:a lot happening in a very short time.

 

One of the purposes of the trip to New York is to learn about festivals that occupy the city and involve the community, since, in the end of the year, Laboratório will produce a festival in Brumadinho, where Inhotim is located, and where these teenagers come from. That is why the partnership with the New Museum was so important. Every year, they promote a street festival. In this year’s 8th edition of this festival, we were invited to take part as volunteers in organizing the event.

 

The day we arrived, we went to the museum to meet the education team and the youngsters participating in a summer program, who would also work in the festival. They showed us the proposals for workshops that would be offered to the public. We created our own uniforms from T-shirts, visited part of the museum as well as the plaza where the event would take place.

Nosso grupo e os voluntários que fizeram a Block Party ser um sucesso. Foto: Alice Dias
Our group and the volunteers who made the Block Party a success. Photo: Shannon Phipps

In the following day, the place was transformed. Eight tents with tables, a stage and several helpful and cheerful volunteers were there!Each one of the teenagers from Laboratório stayed in one tent, together with a teenager from the New Museum and other volunteers. Each tent represented one of the workshops offered.The first challenge they faced was the language barrier. That, which at first was uncomfortable and awkward, slowly disappeared during the exchange of experiences that took place during the day.A smile, a look, a gesture, a song, or even they discovery of a mutual passion for Demi Lovato – young North-American actress and singer – were ways they used to connect with one another, shortening distances and differences. And, certainly, their familiarity with to technology also helped.All of a sudden, they all pulled out their smartphones with simultaneous translation to mediate communication. In the end, being a teenager in Brumadinho or in New York is not all that different!

Michele, uma das jovens do programa de verão do New Museum, usando o celular para minimizar as barreiras da língua. Foto: Alice Dias
Michele, one of the youngsters of the New Museum’s summer program, using the cell to minimize language barriers. Photo: Alice Dias

Click here to learn more about our trip. Laboratório Inhotim relies on a sponsorship by Banco Itaú.

Reading time 3 min

Decentralizing Access

Fernando Hermógenes da Silva

Decentralizing Access is an educational project by Instituto Inhotim. The project has been taking place since 2008 and offers broad contact with art to educators in the public school network of Brumadinho and region. During training sessions, visits with students and activities inside and outside Inhotim, educators and students play leading roles in the performance of classroom educational practices.

 

My first contact with the project happened in 2013, at Altidório Amaral Municipal School, in São Joaquim de Bicas, where I still work. From then on, I have witnessed multiple experiences that reach students, their homes, their streets and communities. Decentralizing Access is permeated by the dialog between Inhotim and its surroundings, creating open territories for the exchange of experiences.

 

One of the greatest moments in the program is the visit with students, during which they are accompanied by two mediators and are allowed to experience the Institute’s collection in a unique way.I am surprised every time I take my class to these visits. It is a moment one wishes would last forever.

Crianças com tinta 3
After the visit to Inhotim, students from Altidório Amaral Monicipal School made an activity inspired by the artist Yves Klein, famous for the shade of blue he has created. Photo: Daniela Paoliello

The experiences during the visit and their developments at school can be shared through Rede Educativa [Educational Network], a virtual platform that allows the exchange of experiences related to art-education among project participants.In addition to allowing for a continuous dialog between the Institute and educators, school and the general public, Rede Educativa is a welcoming environment for those working with art at schools and who wish to use it to broaden their horizons.
Decentralizing Access gives the opportunity for each person to discover their personal energy on their own.The space opens up and new possibilities and looks emerge from this new space.Supported by the project team in several different ways, teachers become proponents, their students become collaborators in a type of education made jointly, with endless exchanging. As I see, Decentralizing Access is a platform to interact with art, and through the program, art itself is circulated.