Online Event: Clay Figuration in Barcelos, Portugal – Crafting Futures by Re-imagining the Past
Date: February 4 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Registration: Click here to register
Online seminar on the practice of artisans from the Barcelos region in northern Portugal, titled "Clay Figuration in Barcelos, Portugal: Crafting Futures by Re-imagining the Past."
Speaker: Sónia Mota Ribeiro, CRIA NOVA FCSH
Discussant: Stephanie Bunn, University of St Andrews
Abstract: This seminar will focus on the tradition of "barristas" – clay artisans who have inherited the knowledge of clay figurine moulding from their families, whose ancestors were the most renowned generations of clay figurine artists in the country. The notoriety of these artists is partly due to the appropriation of popular culture by the Estado Novo dictatorship during the 1930s and 1940s, particularly through the famous clay figurines of Barcelos.
The seminar will explore how contemporary artisans balance the preservation of traditional themes passed down from their ancestors with the introduction of new forms and ideas in the figure-making process. Additionally, it will investigate how their work has caught the attention of contemporary artists and designers, inspiring creative relationships and influencing their own clay figuration practices.
Biographical Notes:
Sónia Mota Ribeiro is an anthropologist and artist researching in the fields of anthropology of art, environmental anthropology, and cultural heritage. She is currently a PhD candidate in anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, NOVA University of Lisbon, where she studies clay figuration practices in the regions of Barcelos and Estremoz, focusing on the relationships between local institutions and artisans.
Stephanie Bunn is Leverhulme Emeritus Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews, UK. She curated the first-ever British Museum exhibition of Central Asian felt textiles and is the author of "Nomadic Felt" (2010), editor of "Anthropology and Beauty" (2016), and co-editor of "The Material Culture of Basketry" (Bloomsbury, 2020).
About Artistry@Work: Artistry@Work is an online seminar series in the Anthropology of Artists and Artisans, running from 2024 to 2025, in collaboration with the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme–Université Clermont Auvergne and the Royal Anthropological Institute. This series explores the situated practices of "artistry at work" as well as the working lives and career trajectories of artists and artisans practicing their trades in various regions around the globe.
Organizers: Dr. Raphaël Blanchier & Professor Trevor Marchand
Image: © António Ramalho & Bárbara Neves Alves. Photograph by Vinicius Ferreira.
