TERRA COBRE • João Pais Filipe and Marco da Silva Ferreira
TERRA COBRE
João Pais Filipe and Marco da Silva Ferreira (PT)
11 September
8:30 pm
50 minutes
[Performance]
Nave, CRL – Central Elétrica
Originating in the village of Alcáçovas, Alentejo, this work bridges the traditional art of cowbell-making (chocalhos) with contemporary artistic practices rooted in percussion and dance. The cowbells were declared as Requiring Urgent Safeguarding by UNESCO in 2015, and in Terra Cobre the artists challenge traditional Portuguese iconography and symbolism, placing it on an exploratory, sensorial footing. The work consists of a sculptural and sound installation, open to visitors in a designated space, and a 50-minute performance taking place at the opening or closing of the exhibition. The installation serves as the setting for the performance, contributing to its atmosphere and performative narrative. João and Marco explore concepts of identity, culture and society, reinterpreting ancestral cultural heritage and challenging established conventions. They use the cowbell materials to create a sculptural, sonic and physical composition, portraying a landscape full of memories, where shepherds and beasts meet.
Artistic Info
Creation and performance: João Pais Filipe and Marco da Silva Ferreira
Sound: Rafael Maia
Executive production: Ana Ademar, Hugo Alves Caroça, Mafalda Bastos
Commission and production: BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts and Pensamento Avulso
Co-production: Futurama, Pensamento Avulso
Artistic residency: O Espaço do Tempo
Support: Fábrica de Chocalhos Pardalinho
Bio
João Pais Filipe and Marco da Silva Ferreira have developed artistic practices marked by experimentation, physicality, and the creation of their own languages. João Pais Filipe brings together percussion, instrument making, and sound sculpture, collaborating with various national and international music projects. Marco da Silva Ferreira has established himself as one of the most acclaimed Portuguese choreographers of his generation, blending references from street dance, clubbing, and contemporary dance into works presented internationally. Together, they explore territories of tension between body, rhythm, matter, and movement, through a deeply sensory and interdisciplinary performative approach.
