Throughout her nearly 30-year career, Joana Vasconcelos has been using textiles in many of her pieces. The visual artist values manual skill and has collaborated with artisans from all over Portugal, from the island of Pico in the Azores to Viana do Castelo, including Nisa and the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre. Last Saturday, 30 July, she joined weavers Fátima Mestre and Helena Rosa at Mértola's Weaving Workshop to exchange ideas about ancestral traditions and contemporary art, courtesy of CONSTELATION | FUTURAMA.
It was a pleasure to be in Mértola, among the looms, tapestries and woolen blankets. Very interesting to get to know not only the techniques but also the life experience of the Weaving Workshop artisans, who take part in the wonderful world of the craftsmanship of Alentejo. The preservation and inclusion of this handicraft in our daily lives and in our future is essential to the country's identity, to the culture of Portugal.
Joana Vasconcelos