SPOKEN PORTRAITS
A project of orality and photographic memory
Sequeiros and Sete Fontes, Municipality of São Pedro do Sul
March to August 2021
Binaural Nodar and Associação de Apoio à Comunidade de Sequeiros e Sete Fontes
Until a few decades ago, portraits of rural families were few, usually taken on a trip to the village photographer, on a wedding day, or by an enthusiast who passed or resided in the village (a primary teacher, an emigrant, a former military, etc.). Looking closely at any old photograph, it is possible to perceive many aspects in addition to the names of the portrayed persons: ways of dressing, places, situations, placement of bodies, expressions, etc.
Binaural Nodar proposes to develop in these villages a project entitled “Retratos Falados” (“Spoken Portraits”), which will combine orality and memory, using family portraits as an activating mechanism for narratives about family ties, life paths, the transformation of these villages and many other aspects.
The project will be developed in compliance with sanitary rules and preventive measures to combat covid-19 and will consist of a series of gatherings, each associated with specific photographs, with the final result being a photographic and sound exhibition at the premises of the local community organization to be inaugurated in August 2021. All photographs will be properly digitized and cataloged and will become part of both the community archive and the Binaural Nodar Digital Archive.
The project has the diffusion support of both the Municipality of São Pedro do Sul and the Union of Parishes of São Martinho das Moitas and Covas do Rio, to whom we are very grateful.