Finally after much pandemic caused postponement and the careful, thoughtful support of the host organisation Cultivamos Cultura I have begun a month long residency as part of Biofriction,

Biofriction is a research project with the goal of generating and facilitating spaces for exchange where artists, curators, theoreticians and different social collectives, such as activists and educational projects, can collaborate in transdisciplinary experimental proposals that offer practical alternatives to existing problems in contemporary Europe, such as the rise of essentialist discourses that launch not only a worrying discourse but also policies of marginalisation and exclusion.

My research project is called Menopause batteries and endocrine piracy I’ll blog about my progress and processes and post on Instagram @untitledbodies . Suffice to say it has begun wonderfully in the company of fellow Biofriction artist Christiana Gruber and the company of both Adam Zaretsky and Dalila Honorato who are here in Sao Luis before the annual bioart summer school begins in a couple of weeks. Both Adam and Dalila’s scholarly and artistic practices exceed any single website, look them up to get a sense of the breadth of their respective practices and activities from multiple sources.

Cultivamos Cultura is the vision and long term residency project initiated by artist, curator, mover and shaker Marta de Menezes. Check out the ‘who we are’ including Claudia Figueiredo whose producer skills and tenacity is so critical to the administration and enabling of all of our activities.

Needless to say great care is being taken in respect to how we convene and conduct both our practices and our living arrangements during covid 19 times, both for ourselves and the local Alentejo community and context into which we find ourselves.

I have enormous affection and gratitude for being a multiple return visitor to Cultivamos Cultura. Already it’s ambient charms and the vital rigour of daily conversation and friendly, encouraging exchange is making this a remarkable experience.