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International gathering of walking artists - The Walking Body 4 (TWB4) "compasses - walking communities"

13 and 17 March 2023 | 9h30 am | Bairro C - meeting point Galeria da Garagem Avenida/EAAD (Guimarães)

Published on 02/03/2023

The Walking Body 4 (TWB4) is an international gathering of walking artists.
It will take place between March 13rd and 17th, 2023, in Guimarães, at Bairro C, with the meeting point at the art gallery Garagem Avenida/EAAD.
The Walking Body 4 includes a week of workshops and a presentation of the work of the participating artists, in the art gallery Garagem Avenida/EAAD (Av. Dom Afonso Henriques 250, Guimarães)
Walkshops take place at Bairro C and start at the meeting point and are held by invited national and international artists, between March 13 and 17, 2023. These workshops are free and open to anyone by registration via the form below: https://forms.gle/z8ca8isqf4nfpPH96

For more information check the calendar at: www.facebook.com/The-Walking-Body-2149089701777607

The TWB4 program and activity presentation will be held on March 13, 2023 at 5pm at the art gallery Garagem Avenida/EAAD (Av. Dom Afonso Henriques 250) is free and open to anyone interested in art and the act of walking. The presentation will be introducing the theme of the meeting and the TWB4 week activities.

Speakers at TWB4 are the artists: Ana Moya (ES), Angeliki Avgitidou (GR), Geert Vermeire (BE), Laís França (BR), Matteo Bonfitto (BR), Manuela Ferreira (PT), Miguel Duarte (PT), Natacha Antão (PT), Rachel Merlino (BR) e Tiago Porteiro (PT).

This project is organized by Lab2PT, in partnership with the School of Architecture, Art and Design, and has the institutional support of the University of Minho. The Greek professor and artist Angeliki Avgitidou will be present thanks to Erasmus+ faculty mobility support. Geert Vermeire’s participation was supported with a travel grant from the Flemish Ministry of Culture, Belgium. This project is member at New European Bauhaus network.

This event is free and open to the participation of any person, student, artist, interested or curious. Anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The Walking Body art project and walkshops have been developed since October 2018 and are organized by Geert Vermeire (Made of Walking/walk · listen · create), Miguel Bandeira Duarte (EAAD/Lab2PT) and Natacha Antão Moutinho (EAAD/Lab2PT).
TWB invites artists, students, interested parties and the inhabitants of the city of Guimarães to interact with the territory and walk together, inspired by in situ walkshops with creators.

Contacts:
walk@lab2pt.uminho.pt
Geert Vermeire (BE) whatsapp – 0032 483121133
Miguel Bandeira Duarte (PT) 00351936661579
Natacha Antão Moutinho (PT) 00351 938611848

– information at walk.lab2pt.net
• https://www.facebook.com/The-Walking-Body-2149089701777607

Compasses – walking communities
Compasses, interplaying with double meanings of the English word for the handheld device pointing the north for a walker and the original Portuguese word “compassar”, signifying pacing, and walking communities are terms related to the philosophy and practice of popular education developed by Paulo Freire.
The term “pacing” is used by Freire to refer to the process of adapting a teaching or pedagogical action to the needs, interests, and realities of the students or participants. Pacing means to be in tune with the rhythm and trajectory of the students or participants, taking into account their experiences, previous knowledge, cultures, and perspectives. For Freire, education should be dialogical and horizontal, rather than imposing and vertical, and pacing is a key element of this approach.
Walking communities, on the other hand, are groups of people who unite around a common goal or cause, and who together walk toward social transformation, their symbolical North. These communities are characterized by a critical view of reality, political involvement, and collective action. For Freire, the walking communities are spaces for mutual learning, where people can exchange experiences, knowledge, and reflections, and build a process of awareness and mobilization. The walking communities are an example of popular education in action, because they allow people to be protagonists of their own history and fight for a more just and egalitarian society.