Teatro Aveirense_2

This exhibition is part of a multi-faceted project commemorating one hundred and forty years of the Teatro Aveirense (Aveiro Municipal Theatre). The other parts of the project are a new graphic identity, and a special edition book.

The starting point for the curation and design of the exhibition was the historic archive of the theatre which we spent many months looking through. To look through any archive (and that of the theatre is no exception) it is to be confronted with a multitude of silent witnesses. These witnesses, in the form of documents and artefacts that bear testimony to what once was, are the physical remnants and traces that others have left behind and are manifest in multiple forms; in legal and administrative documents, shares, ledgers, invoices and other financial records, employee records, furniture and equipment inventories, correspondence with artists and suppliers, architectural plans, tickets, signage, and photographs. These are the items, rich in historic significance and in visual vibrancy, that we wanted to share with the public. In particular, what caught our attention as we searched the archive, is the collection of original programmes and publicity materials dating back to 1881 that contribute to a graphic patrimony, not just of Aveiro, but of the country as a whole. Together these items, most of which never before seen in public, form the basis of the exhibition. They are displayed in cases and tables that are encompassed by panels that display a historic timeline of the theatre.

Credits – Curatorship and Design: Andrew Howard. Furniture design: João Cruz. Photography: Paulo Carvalho. Digital printing: Esag-Estudio De Artes Graficas, Lda. Poster Framing: DaVinci.

Date September 2021
Client Câmara Municipal de Aveiro
Duration September 2021–March 2022

Exhibition photos by Paulo Carvalho – https://paulocarvalho.photo