Mértola – Artist in the Community

Mértola, caminhos sonoros

On 18 May 2024, as part of the International Museum Day celebrations, the event Mértola, Caminhos Sonoros (transl. Mértola, Sound Paths) took place – a musical and literary walk through the old part of the town of Mértola that culminated in a concert in the Main Church, involving two contemporary musicians from Lisbon and the choir group of Mina de São Domingos (committed to traditional singing, called Cante Alentejano). The event described the final moment of the residency, incorporating the work created to date and the multiple experiences with all their complexity and depth, trying to capture the essence of what was given to me by the Alentejo and the Alentejanos.

Program text (translation from Portuguese):

On this walk around the old town of Mértola, we will be listening to music, stories and poems, rediscovering old places, on a journey between memory, tradition and contemporary creation. This is a route that invites us to listen, to be silent and to observe, with our eyes open and closed, culminating in a concert in the Main Church.

Mértola is a place of stories that the Community recognises and retells and on this walk we discover the sound imagery created by Samuel Gapp, based on his experience as an Artist in the Community between March and May 2024 and the contact he has had with the places and the people inhabiting them.

This imagery is joined by Pedro Bravo and Rita Sales, telling stories that dialogue with the scenery and Samuel Gapp’s sound creations, performed live by André Carvalho (double bass) and Jan Michálek (saxophone); as well as the voices of the choir group of Mina de São Domingos.

The concert, lasting around 45 minutes, is based on pieces of Cante Alentejano, re-contextualised through improvisation and contemporary music, incorporating the acoustic characteristics of the Main Church.

Credits:

Creation, Conception – Samuel Gapp
Storytellers – Pedro Bravo e Rita Sales
Saxophone – Jan Michálek
Double Bass – André Carvalho
Cante Alentejano – Grupo Coral da Mina de São Domingos
Coordination of the project Artista na Comunidade – Cooperativa boa CRIAÇÃO

Support and collaborations:
Câmara Municipal de Mértola, Museu de Mértola – Cláudio Torres, Paróquia de Mértola, Associação Montícola