A MORNING WITH THE BLACK CLAY OF RIBOLHOS
Saturday, 12 September, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Black Clay Workshop (Former Primary School)
Ribolhos (Castro Daire)
Programme:
10.00 am: Walking tour of the black clay, guided by local potter Jorge Ferreira
11.00 am: Opening of the audiovisual installation ‘A Donkey’s Tale’’ by Luís Costa
12.00 pm: Opening of the outcome of the ‘Juxtaposition’ artist-in-residence with ceramicist Rita Gomes, followed by a light lunch and social gathering.
In September 2023, the Black Pottery Workshop was inaugurated in one of the rooms of the former primary school in the village of Ribolhos (Castro Daire). This space showcases a craft tradition rooted in this small village, situated alongside National Road No. 2. This space was curated by Marta Carvalhal, Luís Costa and Jorge Ferreira, in close collaboration with two initiatives of the Portuguese Government: the ‘Saber Fazer’ Programme and the National Arts Plan. Since then, the Black Pottery Workshop has hosted a range of activities, including artist residencies, school workshops, walking tours, temporary exhibitions and book launches, in a joint effort by the various organisations involved in running the space.
In recent weeks, artist-in-residence Rita Gomes has been conducting a research project, entitled “Juxtaposition”, exploring the local landscape through the encounter between clay and granite – two distinct materials that create a dialogue between that which transforms and that which remains. Using small granite rocks collected from the Montemuro hills – which were previously part of walls associated with pastoral activity – the artist incorporates them into her creations, allowing the clay to mould itself to the stone and, through the fire, for both to form a new relationship. Each piece explores the tension between fragility and resilience, between the delicacy of hand-crafted material and the raw presence of the mountainous landscape, affirming juxtaposition as a form of closeness without fusion, where different materials coexist and reveal new possibilities.
The event ‘A Morning with the Black Clay of Ribolhos’ will begin with a guided walk led by potter Jorge Ferreira, taking in some of the village’s symbolic sites linked to pottery: where the potters lived, where the kilns were built, etc.
Following the walking tour, an audiovisual installation by Luís Costa, coordinator of Binaural Nodar, will be presented. Entitled “A Donkey’s Tale”, it imagines the relationship between two donkeys, one from the province of Zamora (Spain) and the other from Ribolhos. This work forms part of the author’s research within the context of the Doctoral Programme in Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro, in partnership with two research centres: ID+ (Aveiro) and LiDA (ESAD Caldas da Rainha).
The event is completely free of charge. However, anyone wishing to take part in the walking tour must register free of charge by emailing info@binauralmedia.org.
Technical and artistic details:
A co-production between Binaural Nodar, the Municipality of Castro Daire, through the Municipal Library, and the Union of Parishes of Mamouros, Alva and Ribolhos.
An event forming part of the activities of the Tramontana Network, a project co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme
Event curators: Luís Costa, Marta Carvalhal and Jorge Ferreira
Audiovisual installation: Luís Costa
Artistic ceramics installation: Rita Gomes
Photographic documentation and visitor support: Liliana Silva (Binaural Nodar) and the team at the Castro Daire Municipal Library.