‘Capoeira’ was developed in the escapee mountain communities known as the ‘Quilombos’ as a way of resisting oppression and the prohibition of cultural customs. When members of the Quilombos were recaptured and placed on plantations, they introduced Capoeira to RESILIENCEowners mistook it as other enslaved persons. Accompanied by music and singing, plantation DESIRE FOR and skill. a simple dance but the expressive movements disguised strength Michaela Savage FREEDOM TIMOR Today a cultural symbol of Brazil, the Capoeira representsREBUILDING a beautiful strength and lack BRAZIL LESTE NEW of surrender in the face of overwhelming odds, a survival tool not only of self-defence, NATIONAL IDENTITY but of cultural identity. It is an enduring tradition which speaks to the fighting spirit of the Brazilian people, something the people of East Timor can particularly resonate with. UNITY Also seen practiced around Dili, it is a significant point of connection for these two places, TIMOR-LESTE BRAZIL for the architecture to symbolically ‘dance’ or take its the embassy posing an opportunity queues from each of these two ‘players’. BRAZILIAN CURVE
Just as Brazilian modernists like Oscar Niemeyer included soft curves in their rational, international style, grid-based designs, here we combine the Brazilian affinity for the sculptural/curvy and the movement of the Capoeira within the grid geometry of the existing colonial building. These expressive curves embed in the colonial architecture a message of local resistance. Just as the Capoeira was a form of expression within the constraints of colonial order, so too will our intervention be an expression of Brazilian and Timorese cultural identity and independence, using the constraints of the colonial heritage to our advantage. GRID Colonial Order
Colonial OrderBRAZIL TIMOR-LESTE
BRAZILIA BRAZILIA
Just as Brazilian modernists like Oscar Just as Brazilian modernists like Oscar rational, international style, grid-based rational, international style, grid-based affinity for the sculptural/curvy and theVSm affinity forof thethe sculptural/curvy and the m geometry existing colonial buildin geometry of the existing colonial buildin colonial architecture a message of local r colonial architecture message of local of expression within athe constraints of cr of expression within the constraints of c be an expression of Brazilian and Timo be an expression of Brazilian and Timo CONC using the constraints of the col using the constraints of the col Layered customs, sy GRID GRIDOrder Colonial Colonial Order 1.
V V
CON CONs Layered customs, Layered customs, s
CURVE Desire for Freedom
RESILIENCE
DESIRE FOR FREEDOM TIMOR LESTE VS.
REBUILDING NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY
1. 1.
BRAZIL
UNITY TIMOR-LESTE
BRAZIL
CONCEPT BRAZILIAN CURVE Layered customs, symbols and history Just as Brazilian modernists like Oscar Niemeyer included soft curves in their rational, international style, grid-based designs, here we combine the Brazilian affinity for the sculptural/curvy and the movement of the Capoeira within the grid 1. geometry of the existing colonial building. These expressive curves embed in the colonial architecture a message of local resistance. Just as the Capoeira was a form of expression within the constraints of colonial order, so too will our intervention 2. be an expression of Brazilian and Timorese cultural identity and independence, using the constraints of the colonial heritage to our advantage.
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GRID Colonial Order
CURVE Desire for Freedom
3.
1. Timorese - Construction
