«Cidade Floresta» – Meet the selected artists and scientists
Pro Helvetia South America is pleased to present the group selected for the residency programme «Cidade Floresta – City as Forest», that will gather artists and scientists from Brazil, Switzerland, and Germany for an immersive experience in the urban space of Rio de Janeiro [BR].
This is a speculative project that brings city and forest together and proposes an environment for the exchange between artists and scientists. The residency occurs between May 16th and June 4th, 2022, in Rio’s metropolitan area in partnership with the Museum of Tomorrow.
«Cidade Floresta» is organised by the Goethe-Institut in Rio de Janeiro, the Museum of Tomorrow, Swissnex in Brazil, and Pro Helvetia South America.
SELECTED GROUP
Isabela Meireles, aka BELLA [BR], investigates energetic processes through matter, sound, and light. She conducts research in sound and art technology, digital art, audiovisual projects, performances, art installations, workshops, field recordings, and compositions. Her practice includes the construction of electronic instruments/objects.
Joelma Gomes [BR] is a black woman, quilombola, urban planner with a master’s in territorial studies. She lives in the Recôncovo Baiano, specifically in Acupe, an ancestral territory. She fights for the demarcation and preservation of the fishing and quilombola territory. She coordinates the Rainhas do Mar collective, which promotes financial autonomy for women shellfish gathers and rural producers. She also works as a cultural articulator and photographer for love.
Lotta Ortheil [DE] is a PhD candidate in human geography at RCC and LMU Munich, researching the potential of urban food forestry in sustainable city development. She studied art theory and media arts at the University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe and IUAV Venice. In 2019 she completed her second master’s degree in climate change science and management at Ca’ Foscari University Venice with a final report in the field of climate services.
Milena Manfredini [BR] is a filmmaker, anthropologist, visual artist, and independent curator. She is currently conducting her master’s research in the Cultures and Territorialities program at UFF. She directed the films «Eu Preciso Destas Palavras Escrita» (2017); «Camelôs» (2018); «Guardião dos Caminhos» (2019); «De um Lado do Atlântico» (2020); and «Mãe Celina de Xangô» (2021). She has produced video art for museums and is currently with four works commissioned by the Rio Museum of Art in the «Crônicas Cariocas» exhibition.
Pedro Kosovski [BR] founded, alongside Marco André Nunes, the performing arts company Aquela Companhia in Rio de Janeiro in 2005. Their creations interface with other artistic languages such as music, dance, performance, urban intervention, audiovisual, and digital art. They create works with original and collaborative dramaturgy crossed by concepts such as collective memory, city, and social imaginary. They have exhibited their creations in Brazil and at festivals in South America and Europe.
Séverin Guelpa is an artist and curator. He lives and works in Geneva (1974). In addition to regular exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad, he is the founder and director of the MATZA project, which brings together artists and architects in emblematic territories. He has a master’s degree in political science from the University of Geneva and a master’s degree in visual arts from HEAD, Geneva School of Art and Design. He is an associate artist researcher at EDHEA, art school of Sierre.
