Museum of Tomorrow celebrates its first itinerary with the exhibition 'Fruits - Amazonian Times' in partnership with Instituto Cultural Vale

For the first time, an exhibition organized by the Museum of Tomorrow and the IDG – Institute for Development and Management will overcome the physical barriers of the institution and the city of Rio de Janeiro and begin an itinerary through Brazil, in partnership with the production company Automatica. Held between 2021 and 2022 at the Museum, the exhibition “Fruits – Amazonian Times”, presented by the Vale Cultural Institute, makes its first stop at the Vale Maranhão Cultural Center, in São Luís, on March 27. The exhibition will present the greatness, biodiversity and ancient knowledge present in the largest tropical biome in the world, in addition to proposing new discoveries about the relationship between the forest and the climate and highlighting the urgent nature of its conservation.

“We are very happy with our first itinerancy project, which is a very important achievement for the Museum of Tomorrow and reinforces IDG’s pioneering spirit. The initiative confirms the Museum’s reach beyond physical barriers and the virtual environment. This project also brings a call and an important warning about what we can do to preserve one of the world’s greatest assets, which needs urgent solutions for its maintenance,” explains João Falcão, director general of the Museum of Tomorrow.

“The Fruturos exhibition goes beyond the forest and the richness of its biodiversity, it also speaks of the cultural diversity of those who live there, of its people. Vale knows the region well. It has been there for over 30 years, helping to protect an area of 800,000 hectares of forest, the Carajás Mosaic, equivalent to five times the size of the city of São Paulo,” says Maria Luiza Paiva, executive vice president of Sustainability at Vale.

“We present this journey through time, in the ‘Amazonian Fruits’, which brings us closer to the experiences of millennia, centuries and decades in the largest tropical forest in the world. The exhibition, which comes to São Luís, invites us to reflect on the diverse ways of living, living and creating in the region, and to rethink the influences of these cultures on our lives. We joined this journey looking at Vale’s trajectory of more than three decades for the preservation of the Amazon and the multiple artistic and cultural manifestations that the Vale Cultural Institute supports in the region; and we move forward, together, looking at the time we have going forward,” says Hugo Barreto, CEO of the Vale Cultural Institute.

One of the main characteristics of the itinerant project is the adaptation and customization of the exhibition according to the destination. It is possible, for example, that it will gain different shapes and sizes in each city. At each stop, a local artist will be invited to offer their perspective on the future of the Amazon. Visual artist, photographer and filmmaker Paulo Desana is a guest in São Luís and organized a workshop with indigenous people from Maranhão. Together, they produced new works inspired by the indigenous mythologies of Maranhão, based on the work of Paulo Pamürmasa (The Spirits of Transformation).

To construct the visual elements present in “Fruturos – Amazonian Times”, a collective search of the traditional graphisms/paintings of Maranhão was carried out and then painted on indigenous faces. For the photographic record, they used neon ink, which reflects black light and causes luminescent effects. The result is intense, colorful photos that make people become brilliant canvases of paintings. For Desana, the images produced are linked to a repository of cultural memories of healing, respect for nature and that can be used as an instrument to keep indigenous culture alive, whether material or immaterial.

The exhibition is divided into seven areas that will cover topics such as fauna, flora, peoples and culture. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will be able to feel part of the forest based on the setting, which will bring interactive activities, elements that reveal the diversity of the Amazon and the region’s sound atmosphere.

The exhibition invites the public to experience the sensation of diving in an Amazonian lake, highlights the importance of the diversity of peoples and addresses topics that attempt to understand and listen to those who live in the region and strive for the implementation of economic dynamics beneficial to the tropical biome and its population. Finally, through virtual reality glasses, visitors will be able to see everyday indigenous activities to understand their perspective on nature.

“Fruits – Amazonian Times” was exhibited at the Museum of Tomorrow in December 2021 as part of the institution’s six-year program and presented visitors with objects made from the work of indigenous artisans from different regions of the country.

Service:

Fruit Exhibition – Amazonian Times

From March 27 to May 30, 2024

Address: Vale Maranhão Cultural Center – Av. Henrique Leal (Rua Direita) 149, Praia Grande, São Luis – MA

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., except holidays.

About the Museum of Tomorrow
The Museum of Tomorrow is managed by the Institute for Development and Management – IDG. The project is an initiative of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, conceived in conjunction with the Roberto Marinho Foundation, an institution linked to Grupo Globo. A successful example of a partnership between the government and the private sector, the Museum has Banco Santander Brasil as its master sponsor, Shell Brasil, Grupo CCR and Instituto Cultural Vale as sponsors, and a wide network of sponsors that includes ArcelorMittal, Engie, IBM and Volvo. With Globo as a strategic partner and co-sponsorship of B3, it also has support from Bloomberg, Colgate, EGTC, EY, Granado, Rede D’Or, TechnipFMC and White Martins. In addition to DataPrev supporting special projects, we have media partners Amil Paradiso, Rádio Mix and Revista Piauí, and Legal Advice provided by Luz e Ferreira Advogados.

About IDG

The IDG – Institute for Development and Management is a non-profit social organization specialized in managing public cultural centers and environmental programs. Responsible for the management of the Museum of Tomorrow among other facilities in the country, the Institute also consults for private companies and in the execution, development and implementation of cultural and environmental projects.

About the Vale Cultural Institute

The Vale Cultural Institute believes that culture transforms lives. For this reason, it sponsors and promotes projects in partnerships that promote connections between people, initiatives and territories. Its commitment is to contribute to an increasingly accessible and plural culture, while acting to strengthen the creative economy. Since its creation in 2020, it has supported more than 800 projects in 24 states and the Federal District, covering the five regions of the country. Among them, a network of its own cultural spaces, sponsored by the Federal Culture Incentive Law, with free admission, unique identity and vocation: Memorial Minas Gerais Vale (MG), Vale Museum (ES), Vale Maranhão Cultural Center (MA) and Casa da Cultura de Canaã dos Carajás (PA). Where there is Culture, Vale is there. Visit the Vale Cultural Institute website: institutoculturalvale.org

About the Vale Maranhão Cultural Center

The Vale Maranhão Cultural Center (CCVM) is a cultural space maintained by the Vale Cultural Institute, through the Culture Incentive Law, with the objective of contributing to the democratization of access to culture and the enhancement of the most diverse artistic manifestations and expressions in the region.

About the producer Automatica
Automatica is a company that has been developing cultural projects since 2005, working in the creation, production, curation, management, coordination and consulting of exhibitions, educational programs, publications and other activities related to artistic production. He works with artists, curators, art critics, art historians, cultural institutions, public and private sponsors. He participates in public notices and awards, and draws up projects for incentive laws in the three spheres of public administration. Notable projects include “Hélio Oiticica – Museum Is the World” (2010), “Van Gogh and his Contemporaries” (2022), “Countermemorial” (2022), “Negros in the Pool” (2023) and “Festivities, Sambas and Other Carnivals” (2023). To be more, visit automatica.art.br.