VOL. GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
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URBAN ART SHOW 2014 TAMARA ALVES BIENAL ARTIST IN THE CITY
www.facebook.com/galeriadearteurbana • http://issuu.com/galeriadearteurbana • Google Art Project http://goo.gl/UU8qf4 • youtube.com/user/galeriadearteurbana • Google+ http://goo.gl/0k5Jbg
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ON THE WALLS ...
END FGM The Association for Family Planning (APF) invited the artists Fidel Évora and Tamara Alves to create a mural dedicated to women, especially to the survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM). The result can be seen in Largo Intendente in Lisbon, where last June was born a work that reaffirms the murals as a privileged expression to public awareness through art and urban space as an ideal context for sharing social causes. The street art piece was supported by GAU and developed by four
hands, intersecting different artistic languages in a work full of energy and sensitivity that addresses FGM as a crosscutting issue to everyone, regardless of gender or nationality. The wall extends across “Sport Club Intendente” building facade, where four blind doors are framing or incarcerating female and hybrid bodies. A prison that is only interrupted by desert roses, the element that they chose for symbolize the struggle of women for their emancipation.
CONS PROJECT LISBON AND FÁBRICA 22 [FACTORY 22] A warehouse located in the industrial area of Alvalade neighbourhood, received CONS Lisboa Project, an innovative project dedicated to skateboarding and art, sponsored by Converse brand, which this year reached Lisbon, beholding the collaboration of local artists and writers, skate riders, photographers and musicians, that gathered the best of urban culture in a weekend of May. The building has street art interventions both on the facade, de-
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signed by the duo “Alpinistas Descalços” as in the interior, produced by various artists from the graffiti and street art world, with curatorship by akaCorleone. Established as “Factory 22”, in June, the space with over 2,000 square meters managed by national company “99k” now operates every day from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a diverse range of sports activities, entertainment and also a cafeteria.
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UNDERDOGS The Underdogs platform, in partnership with GAU, continues to populate the city with street art pieces of some of the most recognized authors of the international urban art scene. Clemens Behr was the last one to visit us and not only created the exhibition “Samples and Variations” in Gallery Underdogs, but also held a street intervention, marked by pictorial variations with geometric samples. One of the rare abstract pieces of urban art in Lisbon, this creation seems to rehearse a certain “deconstruction” made in different plans through the game of colours the artist used. These are bidimensional, vertically, horizontally or diagonally aligned tracks, whose overlapping generates depth and movement in an inevitable optical illusion. As a chaotic house of cards, the work of Clemens Behr may lose at anytime its delicate balance and can collaps with a light breeze.
ARTISTA NA CIDADE [BIENAL ARTIST IN THE CITY] Art that sings, that hurts, that remembers, that spells truth, that summons shivers…And the list goes on for 10 sentences that Tim Etchells originally conceived to Lisbon, in the context of “Artista da Cidade” [Artist in the City] project, promoted by EGEAC [Municipal Company for Management of Equipment and Cultural Animation]. In collaboration with GAU and by the rigorous execution of the hands of Daniel Teixeira and José Carvalho, the words of Tim Etchells literally went down to the street, occupying walls and buildings. “I am a language collector (...),” as Tim Etchells said in an interview published for the event (www.artistanacidade. com), and words occupy a central place in his work, which crosses fields such as performance, visual arts or literature. In this set of interventions done in Lisbon, the author highlights the reactions and the effects of the artistic condition, exploring the emotional, cognitive and sensory relationship between the observers towards that artistic creation. For this “Artist in the City”, urban art can bring a valuable contribution, to introduce him directly in the public sphere, in the city turmoil, in the indifferent gaze of passers-by, in the meanings produced by each one in the memory of the remained walls. The artist is thus in the city and this city is in all of us.
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ON THE WALLS ...
ROSTOS DO MURO AZUL Francisco Correia, Gustavo São Pedro, Francisco Camilo, Maat, Nicolae Negura, Francisco Ponto, Margarida Esteves, Skran, Smile and Spek, were the authors of the proposals selected for the eighth edition of the Blue Wall Faces project, by the jury composed by representatives of the municipal Cultural Heritage Department, the Psychiatric Hospital of Lisbon, through the Cultural Association P28, and the publisher “Zest-books for life.” Last July, these authors carried out their works dedicated to face’s theme, under the deep blue that covers this long wall on the north side of Rua das Murtas. By September and on the west side, two new pieces were performed by the national artist Mojojojo (still in the context of the 8th edition) and by the Austrian creator David Leitner, who wanted to leave his mark in this special place. Stay tuned, because by the end of the year, new works will arise in the wall, concluding this path full of blue.
Skran
Francisco Correia
Francisco Ponto
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Gustavo São Pedro
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Francisco Camilo
Spek
Smile
Nicolae Negura
Margarida Esteves
David Leitner
Maat
Mojojojo
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ON THE WALLS ...
CO- MANAGED WALLS As part of the municipal strategy defined for urban art in the city, looking for sharing creativity management in public space, GAU together with local artists has been implementing pilot projects in specific neighbourhoods, in which are offered walls dedicated to graffiti and street art practices, involving the natural turnover of pieces of this artistic universe. Since 2011 in Telheiras neighbourhood with “TelheirasGraffiti” and more recently, since 2014 in Benfica neighbourhood, with “Sweet N’ Eight”, you can paint in the many square meters of the
available surface. Beyond promoting artistic creation, these projects aim the revitalization and enhancement of public space as well as the everyday lives of residents and businesses of these areas of the city. These walls are open to the collaboration from both national artists and international ones, so here we share images of some of the pieces performed, hoping to motivate all to submit their proposals. Online registration available at: http://telheirasgraffiti.blogspot.pt and http://sweetneight.blogspot.pt
Edis One & Dems & Pariz One
Zoer & Pariz One
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Psyk & Edis One & Alme (© Edis One)
HagaieL
Sofia Pidwell
Isa Silva
Tamara Alves
Tamara Alves
Murta & Uivo
Godmess
Klit
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URBAN ART ANNUAL SHOW
2014 EDITION Many were the proposals received and the jury selection was difficult. But GAU has 7 panels on Calçada da Glória and Largo da Oliveirinha, so 7 were the projects selected for the Urban Art Annual Show of this year authored by: Godmess, HagaieL, Isa Silva, Klit, MURTA and UIVO, Sofia Pidwell and Tamara Alves, by the jury of this edition composed of representatives of Lisbon City Hall, FUEL TV and WOOL Festival, to whom we thank the collaboration. The new interventions of this heterogeneous group of authors, now patent in the Gallery panels illustrate the multiplicity of artistic languages practiced in the world of urban art, the distinctive experience of the participants - those who already have years of work on the street and those who want to start paint on this scale - and the diversity of their origin: graffiti, illustration, design, painting or street art. Opening this free theme exhibition, Tamara Alves presents us with another of her recognizable creations, in which the wild side together with delicate emotions are constant presence. A “heart-octopus” pulsates at the top of Calçada da Glória, in the path of animal figures that she typically designs evocative of the strength and audacity of predators, here in a maritime subject, also honouring the past of Portuguese people and in particular the family’s artist: “The exhibition had free subject, so that gave me the freedom to get images that I usually work, like the heart. And lately I’ve been around the maritime theme, which is important for the Portuguese people and for me as originary from the Algarve region (in South Portugal) and from a family of fishermen for whom the sea is important (...), I decided to return to a theme that I haven’t worked a long ago. And I am very happy “. More info about the artist: www.tamaraalves.com MURTA and UIVO, young duo of creators, fulfill the second panel, continuing with the theme of nature, here used as a background to the contemplation of the human figure, the human creation in its most genuine state. A merger of their different artistic styles and organized in several extracts and moments, as in nature, the piece can be read from top to bottom, as the artists explain: “The man is naked and vulnerable (...) This character is inserted on earth and is going to be born. On this wall we dissect it in two different times: the bottom of the panel is like an underground river, a macro level. And the top of the panel is the ground “. More info about the artists: MURTA https://www.facebook.com/pages/MURTA/273744602832984?sk=ti meline and UIVO - https: //www.face¬book.com/uivo.goncalofialho In the third panel, which continues an aqueous atmosphere, the artist Godmess celebrates human nature, representing a delicate and unique universe of love, inhabited by the kiss between two figures, instant so well illustrated by the last stanza of the sonnet “O Beijo” [The Kiss], written by Alexandre O’Neill, who inspired the author in this street art intervention. In the words of Godmess - “It seemed to me that this poem and this artistic work would fit. I have been working the theme of the kiss, researching examples in sculpture, painting and poetry. And my work goes around people, love, sometimes in a more eroticized way.They arise in a surreal environment and the characters are concrete, related to things I hear, because they always have a back story, but I don’t like to reveal much more ... “ More info about the artist: www. godmess.com. In the fourth panel, we still can appreciate the theme of nature, evident in the work performed by Klit, one of the most recognized writers of the first generations that started producing graffiti in
Portugal. For this reason, those familiar with the world of urban art, immediately recognize the authorship of the piece, marked by a peculiar animal figure and the fusion of organic elements with calligraphic ones, which features the artistic journey that the author has been developing for over 15 years. “Letters not flowers” is one of his most emblematic phrases. “I usually can mix the letters with animals, with organic shapes. There are even people that look at my lettering and see animals or plants, or actually everything! But for me they are letters. Here I also tried to join the two aspects in the panel - an animal organic part and the organic art of my lettering”. More info about the artist: www.facebook.com/Klitone “Reflection of the (simpli)city” is the title of the work, patent in the fifth panel, authored by the duo HagaieL: Hilde and Leah, two young lovers not only with each other but also by the art world, whose creative process is a duel of actions and gazes that culminates in one. “We are one, when one is all you see,” as stated in their biography. In this vertical panel, we can now contemplate a piece inspired by the traditional azulejos - through its symmetry and multiple reflection - which wants to show a simple but real reflection of the city. “When we saw this opportunity to compete, we thought it would be interesting to create something that could make the link between urban art and the traditional tile. And then we remember to create an urban tile in which the main topic is the city. It is the first time we have a chance like this - never done anything on this scale. I’m with the expectation that it goes well ... and above all that we can meet other artists. And if people like our work, we have more opportunities”. More info about the artists: www.facebook.com/artodidacta. Already in the Largo da Oliveirinha, we are faced with the best of both worlds: between the minimalism of Sofia Pidwell’s work and the figurative profusion in Isa Silva’s piece. Thus, in the sixth panel, Sofia drew its proposal, almost as an embroidery: delicate and patiently with markers of different thickness but of one color. Organic forms whose outline in black evolves with the inspiration of the artist and stand out on the white surface, show us different readings and invite us to imagine even more drawings and paths. “This is much like my drawings. They are drawings that come out to me naturally, effortless. Quickly I have the proportions of a panel or a place where I want to expose and the design comes intuitively. (...) And then I adapt myself, because I can quickly stretch or shrink the drawing and because it is very malleable. It’s this freedom and flexibility to produce. Arrive at a place and do it”. More info on the artist: www.sofiapidwell.com. In perfect contrast, Isa Silva fills the seventh panel, with her multiple and colourful pictures, recorded in the collective memory of both the Portuguese and international publics, providing the creation of this vibrant and lively piece, which does not leave indifferent who now passes by Largo da Oliveirinha. “This panel is based on a project called “Square Faces” I created about a year ago, in which I paint very colorful faces always in a square format, I ended up adapting to this panel, for which I choose some figures I particularly like and that are easily identifiable (...). As in this place daily attend many foreigners and many Portuguese also, I thought I should join a group, between figures who existed and figures of cinema. I have three series: faces I have created, familiar faces and then faces of fiction. And in here, there’s a bit of everything”. More info about the artist: www.isasilva. com/squarefaces.html
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INTERVIW WITH...
TAMARA ALVES
We almost saw Tamara Alves born ... born for urban art, of course! Some of the first steps in Lisbon, were given with GAU, particularly in the painting of a wall sponsored by Fundación Pampero. Then we saw her grow consistently in the theme she has always been interested - the human body in relation to the animal; technically, dominating spray cans and brushes; in terms of scale, between the panels of GAU, the pillars of the April 25’s bridge and the wide gable of the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon, with the winning work of a competition whose jury was chaired by Master Júlio Pomar. The author is part of a movement that finds expression in Lisbon and in the world, and offers an increasing emphasis on women’s work in the field of street art. For all this and more, Tamara Alves is our interviewed for this special volume of the GAU’s Magazine, celebrating 6 years of the Gallery. - How did you initiate your production in the field of street art? I love graffiti and street art since ever. In my career, while I was studying Arts, I deepened and included these areas of interest in my work, but at the time it was difficult because it was not a well regarded art form. I studied and tried to relate me with several artists who made interventions on the street to try to understand this need and later went to practice. I grabbed every opportunity to make an intervention on walls (in galleries) or on the streets. When I could not, I incorporated the maximum possible signs and posters from the streets, stencil, tags, and all the aesthetics of the street on canvas or other more conventional media. For example, the festival “Se esta rua fosse minha” Porto 2009 (a giant painting, glued on the street), “Junho das Artes 2010” in Obidos (Posters stolen from the streets, an installation of 10 meters high), Rabiscuits Festival in Alcobaça (with a giant stencil stuck in Alcobaça monastery as a subversive invitation since I could not intervene directly), among others. In 2010 comes an invitation from GAU and P28 to paint a mural in Santa Apolonia with 3 more artists and from there I started to paint more and more. The opportunities arose and thus the recognition and appreciation. - What is the relationship between your gallery work and the street one? I try to be true to my aesthetic, despite the different media and how far we can go, either in the gallery or on the street. The canvas is important, its portability, the non-ephemeral side of the work and of course the commercial side. I try to do on the street what I can do on canvas or on paper, that is my goal and that is harder than it looks. My initial passion was drawing, more than painting, and that’s what I try to transpose into the wall, the expressiveness of ink with my detailed and hard stroke.
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On the street the scale is always a challenge and having vertigo you must have a lot of love and detachment at the same time (we never know how long our work can last on the street). - Figuration is omnipresent in your works. For you, what is left of mystery in our body? I am a figurative artist, I love the picture and be able to negotiate the limits of our own body as something natural. We are animals but too predictable these days, I like to counter it. I will continue to explore how far I can punch and rip out here. I like to paunch my characters and turn them inside out. - The symbiosis between the female body and the animal is also a constant in your pieces. What carries this wild side for the representation of women? I like to keep a delicacy and tranquility while the figure may appear to be violent or in such cases that be confused with violent although they are metaphors. They are strong images and the female body is represented more often, perhaps because it makes it easier to convey that idea. I’m not a feminist but maybe for being a woman it happens more often in my work. I relate a lot with the characters I create. - How do you think the female panorama of urban art currently produced in Portugal and abroad? A few years ago I felt some distrust in the ability of my work as a woman to another’s eyes, nowadays things are changing every day. We have enough women to paint on the street and do amazing work and its valuation is important to encourage other women and open doors for everybody. Unfortunately, there are few, in comparison, but with significant work and imprint in a different medium. It’s hard work, it is an art that requires great physical effort but we can do it as well as a man.
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OBSERVATÓRIO
Unknow author (©GAU)
Tigra (©GAU)
Unknow author (©GAU)
Wittle
Unknow author (©GAU)
Borondo (©GAU)
Tinta Crua
André
Vanessa Teodoro
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… BEYOND WALLS
TODOS ‘14 Following on the work in partnership with the Galleria de Arte Urbana, Festival TODOS 2014/ Caminhada de Culturas” [Walk of Cultures], included again in their programming an urban art project, which counted with the performance of different types of artistic interventions in the area of São Bento. The project followed a curatorial line of figurative nature, related to the theme adopted for this year’s event, “Povo, um povo de povos” [People, a people of peoples]. In this context, it was launched a challenge to the artist Robert Panda, to recreate his sculptural work of ephemeral nature, based on humanoid figures made of colored paper pulp. The eight “stupid” (as these figures are called) installed in the adjacent garden to the Parliament created intense interaction with the public festival and other users of the space, which proves the strong “call” emanated by these beings. For another aspect of the project, was invited the creator Drawing Jesus, who conceived and performed a large-scale painting (a face defined by multiethnic traits) in a building of São Bento Street and also a second artwork in a group of 7 technical cabinets located at the top of Av. D. Carlos I, formed by a set of legs and feet characteristic of different human groups, based on the motto Walk of Cultures, which gives the festival motto.
MEGAPHONE LECTURES
ture and a small sample of what happened in the city, within the graffiti and street art universe.
The Urban Forms Foundation, based in Lodz, Poland, held in September, together with the Department of Ethics of the Institute of Philosophy of the local University, the 1st International Conference “Aesthetic Energy of the City”. Through the organization’s invitation, GAU not only attended the panel dedicated to the institutionalization of urban art, but also enjoyed the tour of a set of exceptional plastic interventions that the Foundation has promoted that city, involving prestigious streetart Polish and international artists.
EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
GUIDED TOURS
Under the PLURIS ‘14, “Luso-Brazilian Congress for Urban Planning, Regional, Integrated and Sustainable”, held in September at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, GAU organized a journey where the participants visited some of the most emblematic works of graffiti and street art in Lisbon. The journey began in Urban Art Gallery and the set of seven panels installed on the Walk of Glory | Largo da Oliveirinha, from where we followed to one of the largest-scale works carried out in the city, designed by the Spanish street artist Aryz. Later, at Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo, we visited the monumental set of 5 facade works, made by some of the most prestigious international artists such as the Brazilian “Os Gémeos”. This was followed a stop to view the wall of Amoreias, the first and most recurrent space Lisbon, conceived to create large murals. The visit ended the riverside area, near Sta. Apolonia, where we could enjoy the magnificent detail intervention created by the dual Vhils/ Pixel Pancho. Last September, visited Lisbon, a delegation of the Municipality of Copenhagen, of the sector of Sports and Culture, and among other activities organized by the city of Lisbon for their reception, a tour dedicated to urban art was organized, in a experience-sharing ges-
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The solo exhibition “Dissection” by Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, held at the Museum of Electricity, recently ended. With over 47,000 visitors, the event also integrated street interventions made at the deposit held in the Museum, at the premises of Lisnave in Almada, and in a building located at Av. of India in Lisbon – a street art piece that makes the cover of this 6th volume of GAU’s Magazine. Although it was reported in the previous issue of this publication, we wanted to share a picture of the final piece performed by Vanessa Teodoro (see p.13), in the bookshop door “Read Slowly” located at LXFactory. The piece was created at the launch of the book Street Art Lisbon, published by Zest - books for life, with the support of GAU. On 7 June, the WALLPEOPLE returned to Lisbon. On the lower level of the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, and with a superb view over the city, was held this year’s edition dedicated to Nature. This international cultural project of participatory art, originally from Barcelona, aims to promote the creativity of the public by inviting everyone to be part of group exhibitions in urban areas. We leave a special thanks to Silvia Dias revealed by the dedication and commitment to cultural and artistic promotion in our Lisbon. GAU attended the jury of the 5th Exhibition of Almada Graffiti held at the South Centre car park (Cova da Piedade), on 27 and 28 September. This project has the motto “Art with responsibly”. They were in contest 7 art pieces, and the first 3 places were to: Jaf (1st place), Daope (2nd place) and Jaime Ferraz (3rd place). From the invited artists, we highlight the art pieces from Skran, Salu, Trafic, Ship, Smile, Robot, Ketam and Klit.
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RECYCLE YOUR SIGHT Last July was held the 8th stage of the project “Recycle Your Sight”, resulting in 15 new artistic interventions in glass containers. The work performed addressed several issues - the monochrome, to the abstract and figurative - reflecting views, motivations, and personal interests, habitual feature of this initiative, which continues to score the Lisbon landscape. his ac-
tivity promoted by GAU and the Municipal Directorate of Urban Environment, has established itself as one of the cross in the field graffiti and street art, dispersing largely by the urban grid of the city, welcoming authors interventions of all age groups, revealing sometimes as an opportunity for developers interested in starting the labors of urban art.
Alexandra Bodianu
Guilherme Filipe
Aheneah & Galego
Ricardo Xavier Antunes
Filipa Reis e Carolina Azeredo
Margarida Esteves
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EDITORIAL
TO BE CONTINUED ...
From a certain point, there is no return. This is the point that we need to achieve “Source - The Aphorisms of Zurau.; Author - Kafka, Franz
Until the end of this year and to end the edition 2014, Underdogs continue to arrive in Lisbon ... It is expected the arrival of other renowned international artists, whose names we will not reveal, for the city to be surprised by his speech. The excellence of the work is fully guaranteed!
AAlthough this is no longer a “special edition”, as in the previous issue of GAU magazine totally dedicated to projects, it is a very special volume, as we celebrate 6 years of “Galeria de Arte Urbana”. It was in October 2008, when the Bairro Alto neighborhood rehabilitation program, the Lisbon City Council decided to create a gallery, located on the Calçada da Gloria. But this was only the starting point, as soon as our attention was addressed to the whole urban area, weighting in which areas of the city and what kind of media would be relevant if carry graffiti and street art interventions; seeking to know and strengthen links with the artistic community associated with these events, not only organizing our own events, such as supporting events for other agents to act in this universe; providing them with more opportunities to work in time and space allowed for effecting; also renewing the plastic intervention in public space; but above all, promoting the protection of the cultural heritage of Lisbon. Finally, a strategy concerning urban art was designed with several areas, given the complexity and the various implications of this phenomenon. And there was no better way to celebrate this date with another exhibition: the Urban Art Exhibition 2014, patent in the original panels of GAU. This is an annual initiative, with free theme in which a jury selects the seven pieces to be performed. This edition involves quite distinct, thematic and aesthetic discourses, with an eclectic group of authors, some already recognized in this field, others who are now to engage in this activity, with a significant female presence. One element of this growing community of authors, Tamara Alves, is our interviewee for the sixth edition of the magazine, getting clear the relevance of his work has been gaining in Lisbon. Passed 6 years, much is done, but there is plenty to do. The experience is vast, but much still to learn. They are only six years, but the path seems long, because of the numerous projects achieved and the rapid evolution of this artistic community. We are therefore convinced that we are very close to reaching the point of no return. Lisbon is currently regarded as one of the most active cities in the production of urban art and this recognition, product of the different actors involved in this issue, has been the best fruits of our labour.
Jorge Ramos de Carvalho
Apoio:
Meanwhile the project “Lata 65” began, designed for learning street art techniques by a senior public. Elected in the “Participatory Budget of the Lisbon City Council” and with GAU’s support, these workshops seeks to prove that concepts such as active aging and solidarity between generations, make more and more sense. On the other hand, is open the voting of the Participatory Budget 2014/2015 CML, with projects in several areas. If you participate, you can decide directly on the interventions to be held in the city. (check: lisboaparticipa. pt/pages/projetos.php)
Color Blind Collective
CREDITS GAU vol 06 – October 2014 Publication of Urban Art Gallery Edition of the Lisbon Municipallity Cultural Council of Lisbon Municipallity Municipal Direction of Culture Department of Cultural Heritage Director - Jorge Ramos de Carvalho Associate Director - Sílvia Câmara Copywriting - Inês Machado, Miguel Carrelo e Sílvia Câmara Graphic Design - GAU Design – Tiago Morais | Cultural Promotion and Communication Division Revision – Sara Simões | Cultural Promo
tion and Communication Division Secretariat - Gracinda Ribeiro Cover photo - © José Vicente DPC|CML 2014 – Vhils Photos - ©JoséVicente|DPC| CML|2014 (exceto onde indicado) Print - Novagráfica Print Run- 1300 exemplares Type font -Helvética|MrsEavesXLSerNar ISSN - 2182 – 777X Legal Deposit – 351671/12 Distribution - Gratuita Contacts - Rua do Machadinho, nº 20, 1249-150 Lisboa| telef. 21 8171945 gau@cm-lisboa.pt