Casa Tucum is located at Rua do Rosário in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is a space for resistance and encounter with indigenous culture, under a permanent dialogue and construction.
The House was opened to the public on 19/04, Indigenous Peoples' Day, with an extensive program that included maraca and snuff circles, singing, traditional ceremonies, presentation of the house's artistic curatorship, musical performances, exhibition opening, conversation, storytelling, body painting, workshops, and beats until the end of the month with the participation of indigenous people of different ethnicities. The project was conceived in 30 days under a minimum cost and within most sustainable practices as possible.
Leaders, experts and artists from different peoples served to celebrate and reaffirm Brazil's indigenous arts as a tool of struggle.
RENOVATION PROCESS
Protected building being reconfigured with new colours, lighting and fixtures, in an exceptional timeline of 25 Days.
Casa Tucum is a space that demarcates indigenous territory in the capital of Rio de Janeiro working as a platform for Brazilian indigenous arts and their creators.
THE TUCUM TREE
A tree that originated the name of the space. This palm tree is a survivor of year and year in the huge Brazilian fauna, due to it thorns. It possible to extra strong ropes, fruits and many more benefits from this special palm species.
Here we choose to plant on a growing bag as a symbolic elements of coming from other locations to occupy and grow in that space.
Landscape design by Gabriela Vidigal.
DISPLAYS
The displays, furniture and fixtures were meticulously designed with a focus on cost efficiency and minimal footprint. We incorporate natural elements, including reforested wood, to create versatile product supports. Our goal is to maximise their usefulness in various contexts.
We crafted necklaces displays from palm tree scales and tree branches. The main shelving unit features a curved design, inspired by the Amazon river shape and allowing for multiple configurations and access from both sides. The ceramic shelving serves as a memory catalog, where books and objects can be elegantly showcased.
THE CANOE
The center piece of the entrance is a Canoa made by the indigenous master craftsman Mr.Anapuatã Mehinako from Xingu river area, during the opening of the Casa.
Mr.Anapuatã created the canoe entirely by hand; this meticulous work took fifteen days to complete. In addition to the meticulous construction of the canoe, Mr.Anapuatã also applied the traditional graphics, hand painted
Tucum's connection with Mr.Anapuatã began in 2016, when Tucum was located in Santa Teresa and we welcomed artisans, researchers and partners, such as Mr.Anapuatã Mehinako.
Casa Tucum is proud to have a work by this long-time partner. Anapuatã Mehinako's creation is on display at Casa Tucum and is also part of the Casa's permanent exhibition.
In harmony with the rest of the space, we designed the area to offer as much openness and breathability as possible, inviting people to truly inhabit it. Casa Tucum serves as a platform to amplify indigenous voices, eschewing complex decorative elements and furniture. The essence of cultural heritage is what truly matters.
Thus, the second floor was designated for videos, debates, meetings, and events. We kept it simple, with only a screen made of stretched fabric, hammocks, and gentle lighting.
Additionally, we created a long, snake-shaped cushion, filled with repurposed fabric scraps, to welcome guests in a relaxed and unpretentious environment.
THE ARTIST
At the top floor of the house, where an exhibition space in allocated, we devoted the back wall to received an intervention by the indigenous artist Moara Tupinambá. Using the same wall backdrop colour, we connected the inside out of the space, allowing Moara to bring to light the memory of the weaving ancestrals. The artist drew inspiration from an 18th-century drawing by Chamb, where a relative from the city of Santarém, in Amazon is from.
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The purpose of the space and so the design of it, is to disseminate and value the diverse original narratives, promote decolonial ideas and reforest the minds of visitors. In addition to permanent cultural activities, Casa Tucum sells indigenous arts from different regions of the country.
“It was a dream come true. It was a very strong moment, an ancestral force that was formed, was present inside the house, and we actually demarcated this territory with the presence of these relatives there. The House will be a space for people to get closer to the reality and culture of our partners. A space to reaffirm the arts and indigenous peoples of Brazil”, analyses Amanda Santana, founding partner and creative director of Tucum.
Casa Tucum is part of the Rio City Hall's Reviver Cultural project, which aims to revitalise the city centre through cultural spaces.
