A guiding thread of the past, present and future of Famalicão, very concretely the textile universe of the city, will fill the Urban Centre of Famalicão in the summer months, through an urban artistic installation by Madalena Martins, to be inaugurated on July 9, City Day, and will remain in the central public space of Famalicão until next October.
The textile thread is the plastic element that builds the narrative, which will have its beginning in the gardens of the Paços do Concelho, developing by Rua Adriano Pinto Basto to Praça D. Maria II, namely to the statue of Queen D. Maria II, founder of the county.
"White threads start from the trees of the Municipal Garden, as if each trunk were the support of a ball, stable and rooted in the earth. From there the wires meet, cross and create a web. Anchored in points that the street offers us, they are shaped to its architecture, thus creating an irregular but cohesive design, light but secure by the force of its plurality. This structural weft, which at some point is dyed with a vibrant and warm color, supports a new thread, which breaks the path freely and creatively, loaded with light and energy itself. It moves in the same direction, but with the curiosity of those who seek new paths", explains the author.
"Along its route, this thread intertwines in historic buildings, penetrates houses, plunges through the treetops and advances, until embracing the sculpture of Dona Maria II, a historical figure who also boosted the city and made it progress. And it is in his hands that the web of threads ends, knitting a new piece, made of history, tradition and discovery", he adds.
For the construction of this installation were reused waste from Riopele, partner of the initiative, namely the final scraps of the production of a fabric, the so-called "false selvedge loom".
For the Mayor, Mário Passos, this is a bet of the municipality on the qualification of the urban space of Famalicão and the qualification of its brand through the artistic exploration of its identity, in this case the textile identity. "The attractiveness and image of a city is built from differentiation factors that uniquely enhance the identity, culture and the main forces of a territory. This unique, differentiating, qualifying look will be enhanced through the creative, singular, differentiating artistic language".
"Designing the identity of a city through an artistic installation in public space was the proposed challenge. Famalicão is distinguished by its history dedicated to the textile universe. A solid tradition that feeds your knowledge in the constant search for new paths facing the future. What this artistic installation represents is this identity in the essence of its constructive process", explains Madalena Martins, who explores the public space as the stage of an ephemeral visual narrative.
Graduated in Communication Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto in 2010, after the Serralves Foundation’s Pops award (Portuguese Original Projects) and having spent two years at the Inserralves Creative Industries Incubator, focused on their own projects exploring a universe dedicated to design and the imaginary of Portuguese culture, reinterpreting stories and materials, returning emotions in the form of objects or installations in public space.
The installation of the intervention begins on Wednesday, June 28, and will take place during the night. During the process, there will be restrictions to car traffic on Rua Adriano Pinto Basto.
