Exhibition at Matosinhos Market honors fishing families
There are 37 “Faces da Maré, Vidas Cruzadas between Matosinhos, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim”. A project by the Local Action Group - GAL Coastal North Coast of the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), funded by the North Regional Operational Program 2020, which translates into a book, a photographic exhibition and a multimedia creation.
The presentation took place yesterday at the Matosinhos Municipal Market and was attended by the Mayor of Matosinhos.
“The sea unites us all”, began by saying Luísa Salgueiro. “We are very proud of our people. It is the people who make our history, our identity. This is a document thinking about the present, but also about the future, for those who want to study our people and our traditions”, said the mayor.
Also present at the session were the Councilor for Economic Development, Commerce and Tourism of Matosinhos, Marta Pontes, the Councilor for Economic Development, Tourism, Agriculture and Fisheries of Póvoa de Varzim, Lucinda Delgado, the Councilor for Tourism in Vila do Conde, Paulo Vasques, the President of the Union of Parishes of S. Mamede de Infesta and Senhora da Hora, Leonardo Fernandes, among other personalities.
Produced by Bind'ó Peixe Cultural Association and by the Escola Superior de Media, Artes e Design, of the Polytechnic of Porto, the project "Rostos da Maré" tells the story of 37 people from Matosinhos, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim, whose lives intersect thanks to fishing.
Edited by journalist and president of Bind'ó Peixe, Abel Coentrão, the 300-page book brings together images and texts resulting from interviews carried out by journalists Ângelo T. Marques (Póvoa de Varzim), David Mandim (Vila do Conde) and Luísa Pinto (Matosinhos).
The portraits of the participants are part of an exhibition by photographers Helena Flores, Joana Dionísio, Luís Ribeiro, Olívia da Silva and Sérgio Rolando, which will circulate through the three municipalities.
The project also involves an audiovisual creation by Tânia Dinis (image manipulation) and Miguel Pipa (sound design), based on the interviewees' personal files and the audio recording of the conversations.
Abel Coentrão recalled that “the life stories of simple and peaceful people” and the “network of relationships that fishing has generated in the last century are important for the life of our community”, adding that this work contributes to the “appreciation of our culture maritime”. “Thank you for showing us that there is sea in your lives besides fishing”, he said, addressing the project participants present at the session. “The sea does not speak, but those who survive it do. Let there be whelks that guard your voice,” he concluded.
In turn, the director of the Escola Superior de Media, Artes e Design, of the Polytechnic of Porto, Olívia Marques highlighted the importance of “preserving this heritage that is people”. “This book represents the recognition and tribute to the people who work in the fishing economy, which is sometimes very difficult”, she stressed.
The secretary of the AMP Executive Committee, Ana Amorim, thanked all those who “gave their testimony, shared their lives”, remembering that “the sea is a means of developing the territory, it is a means of livelihood, but it is also a means of creating family ties”.
After Matosinhos, there will be presentations in Vila do Conde, on the 8th of July (Centro de Memória) and Póvoa de Varzim, on the 14th of July (Centro Póvoa Empresas).