Project creates alternative guide to Rio without tourist clichés.
To see a Rio de Janeiro that doesn't appear on postcards, but is no less interesting and fascinating for that. This is the ambition of the Alter Rio project – an incomplete guide to an almost secret Rio de Janeiro.
Flávia Villela - Reporter for Agência Brasil
To see a Rio de Janeiro that doesn't appear on postcards, but is no less interesting and fascinating for that. This is the ambition of the Alter Rio project – an incomplete guide to an almost secret Rio de Janeiro, made by residents from different parts of the city, bringing together scenes of daily life in Rio, regions and characters that are not featured in tourist images, but which help to make Rio the city that enchants and intrigues Brazilians and foreigners alike.
"The idea was to work with the people of Rio from different regions to find a perspective that could capture the everyday Rio, the daily life, which is often part of childhood images, but which is not a true representation of Rio," explains the project's creator, the Portuguese artist Miguel Pinheiro, who has lived in Rio de Janeiro for just over three years.
Selected by the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Culture Secretariat for the Rio 2016 cultural program, the project will be exhibited during the month of August at Casa Porto, in Praça Mauá, the port area.
Pinheiro believes that being a foreigner and having only been in Rio for a short time helped him develop a more discerning eye for everyday situations and places. "Those who come from abroad usually have a very surprised view of the city. In Portugal, I have difficulty having a clearer view of the reality around me. All the preconceived notions I had about Rio de Janeiro were shattered. And I learned that what I saw in my daily life was much more interesting than what I saw on Google, one of the things that motivated me to start the project."
One of the themes addressed in Alter Rio is samba, generally associated with large events, scantily clad women, and Carnival. "But samba happens on every corner, in every bar in Rio de Janeiro. And for us, it's interesting to look at samba more closely. Our editorial line seeks what touches the very roots of Rio's inhabitants," said the project's creator.
A draft of the project was presented today (18) at Espaço Cultural Olho da Rua, in Botafogo, at the opening of the Shortcutz International Film Festival. The group is now seeking sponsors to take the exhibition to other countries and produce a photo book, as well as a documentary.