LARGO DAS ARTES: DAY 34

 I have decided to have a very relaxing day today so I can have more time to plan ahead, read, sing and restore from Rio intense humidity. I missed the opening at Helio Oiticica centre but I can go during the week. Instead this morning I went to the local market to do shopping and also to buy a new wardrobe... all my clothes are becoming extra large because of the extreme heat loosing their own elasticity. I couldn't find the African lady with one of my preferred dress so as start I bought a colonial Mexican t-shirt instead.

Just outside of the accommodation in the street I could take some other photos of the secular tree cut down even more respect yesterday. The gardeners team were doing an amazing job. There was a circle of audience watching at the track and pieces of the tree cut down, including Miguel Sayad and his grandson Emanuel (photo n. 6).

Then immersed into the colour of the market I couldn't resist to take more photos of vegetables, spices, chillies and a new Brazilian fruit called caju used for doing juices (red fruit) and also for the salty or sweet nut (green extension) you usually find served as snack at the bar. So this fruit is a pseudo fruit!

Once back home I immersed my feet into the cold water of Miguel Sayad's swimming pool and took some photos of the garden with the Instagram application. So cool!

LARGO DAS ARTES: DAY 33

Since I decided to work on the Pororoca acoustic installation some peculiar connections are happening at the same time. This morning on my way to Largo das Artes' studio I met these group of guys having a break from a very physical work. While cutting and trimming a secular tree as becoming too dangerous for the safety of the people and houses around they found this Amazon hive. They looked like bears licking the honey with their hands! I can associate this encounter to my collection of aromatic spices and seeds I have on my table and to a bee that came to visit my studio yesterday afternoon.

Once at the studio I checked if all the speakers I ordered were ok as Samuel Urias delivered them at my studio yesterday afternoon. There were missing 2 more shell speakers and 4 of the 25 cm were not repaired as they should have but there was a little gift by Samuel: an extra small shell just for me! So no problem I went back to the shop and I will have the complete set by Monday. On the way back to Sabino Som shop I listened to a very old band playing some jazz/samba on the street; another nice connection with my acoustic project. 

I also went shopping researching the right tread to hang the shell speakers. I tried different ways: 1. with electrical cord ( too rigid and too expensive) 2. fishing line ( no so good because the hanging system has to be part of the visual look of the installation not disappear) 3. a 3mm black cord (this seems to work plus very economic). So I decided for alternative n. 3. Then I bought other aromatic herbs and incense I researched two day ago made for Brazilian Umbanda spiritual belief to purify and protect when burned with incense. On Monday I will try all these herbs and seeds moving with the vibration of the sound and Frado Monteiro will be with me mixing sounds and test the shells! 

And all this under the heat... Today we had 32 degree and I was filling my body so heavy and slow... Here some natural barometers observing cats looking like dead ones but are only knocked down by the heat! 

LARGO DAS ARTES: DAY 32

I met Frado Monteiro with his son today at El Gebal Turkish delight. We eat delicious snacks and discussed more about the project we are constructing together while the son was getting a little bit tired waiting in the pram and walking around facing the heat and the time passing by. After we went to Casas Pedro where I bought a list of spices and herbs to test later at the studio with the speaker shells.

Then I returned to SabinoSom shop to pay and check if all the speakers have been done. Samuel Urias was there with the owner of the shop finishing the last speakers so amused to see themselves into the blog page. Frado is thinking to plan B and C just in case plan A doesn't work so we went to buy extra wires and research for extra items. The son was always with us almost to the limit of his patience! When I left Frado and his son I walked into a sewerage faulty system immersing one of my feet into the shit! How disgusting it was but how real as well, baptised into the poverty of the street!

LARGO DAS ARTES: DAY 31

What a non stop day! I went back to Sambino Som shop to see how the rest of the speakers were going and if my offer has been accepted... and yes I won so it is all done, Samuel Urias has already started to assemble the speakers! I can play around now with 36 speakers and see if I can utilise all of them. The space of my solo residence show will be in my studio space on the 16th of April and I will exhibit in combination with the solo gallery show of Ricardo - the artist that has won Largo das Artes residency and show this year.

Than I went back to my studio to prepare the sounds for Frado Monteiro coming later in the afternoon to try and experiment with my 10 speakers already prepared at Largo das Artes studio. At 3pm lunch break so the price is cheaper. I went to the usual spot suggested by Frederico Pellachin. The eating payment system has a story all of its own! At the entrance you receive a receipt than once filled the dish with food you have to weight the dish to calculate the price that will be sticked onto the paper. Than you eat and pay showing the receipt and in exchange you will receive a smaller piece of paper that you have to return to the same person standing at the door. 

Frado Monteiro arrived as arranged and he set up all the equipment to experiment with while I was arranging the light material for the sound waves to move inside of the shell speakers. I think Divino has been a very successful one because the incense scent plus the mix of herbs is perceived ever more under the effect of the sound vibrations. Then I tried with different seeds and colourful cake sugar. I decide to limit the choice to the range of natural herbs and seeds because they are closer to the Rio Amazon's forest look. It was so so exciting to watch how all this material was moving and reacting to the speakers' vibrations and see Frado's passion rise towards its limit!