The Aldeias do Xisto will be gathering speakers from all over the world to share their vision for the future of this region, the importance of the Villages for the development of the country and the role of tourism and design in generating value and meaning. Designer Henrique Cayatte, MUDE director Bárbara Coutinho, geographer Álvaro Domingues, and curator Adélia Borges are some of the specialists invited who, together with investors, new inhabitants and experimental projects, will contribute to the path to "cultivate our culture".
What role do the villages play for the future of Portugal? This could be the question that sums up the Seminar - Visions for the Future of Aldeias do Xisto, which will take place at the Museu de Arte Popular, in Lisbon, on January 18th, starting at 9.30am.
See full programme below.
To reflect on the path already travelled and visions for the future, speakers from diverse areas such as tourism, design, geography and economics will be invited. Entrepreneurs who invest in the Aldeias do Xisto, new inhabitants who have changed their lives and project leaders who innovate the region will also give their contributions to the conversation.
The Villages are spaces with a unique relationship with nature and with the land, resulting in a social organisation intrinsically linked to the essence of the places where they are located. Given time, this symbiosis between man and landscape results in a way of life of its own, in culture. In this sense, the villages are fundamental units of strategic action in the relationship of a society with its territory.
But what is the role of the villages today in the future in Portugal and in the world? How can we generate value, income and meaning from these places? What tools, approaches and methodologies should we use? This is the take-away Aldeias do Xisto want from this Seminar, framing the proposals in designs from the country and responding to the major global trends in markets and society.
PROGRAMME
10am - OPENING
- Paulo Costa, director of the Museu de Arte Popular
- Paulo Fernandes, Head of ADXTUR
- Ana Abrunhosa, President of CCDRC
- Paula Araújo da Silva, Director-General of Cultural Heritage
10.40am - SEMINAR PRESENTATION
Rui Simão, Executive Director ofADXTUR
10.50 am - CRAFT + DESIGN + IDENTITY
From vision to project: methodology, process and results
- João Nunes, designer and creative advisor for Craft + Design + Identity, lecturer at the University of Aveiro, ID+
Design perspective on the three projects
- Bárbara Coutinho, director of MUDE
- Rita Filipe, designer and lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon
- Henrique Cayatte, designer and lecturer at Aveiro University, ID+
11.50am - Coffee Break
12:10pm - PROJECTS FROM THE VILLAGES TO THE WORLD
Presentation of the speakers
- Rui Simão, Executive Director of ADXTUR
Creative Tourism
Cerdeira – Home for Creativity
- José Serra, entrepreneur and co-founder of the project
Nature and Active Tourism
A2Z Adventures
- Pedro Pedrosa, entrepreneur and CEO of the project
Cultural Tourism
XJAZZ- Aldeias Xisto Jazz Cycle
- José Miguel Pereira, president of Jazz ao Centro Club
Assets for the vitalisation of Central Portugal
Pedro Machado, resident at Turismo Centro de Portugal
1pm – Lunch
2.30pm - 5’PITCH: 5 MINUTES, 9 PERSPECTIVES ON THE ALDEIAS DO XISTO
Presentation of the speakers
- Bruno Ramos, Director of Communication at ADXTUR
1 - Cabrada
Paula Lomelino, lecturer at ESAD, Caldas da Rainha
2 - University of Aveiro + Fab Lab Aldeias do Xisto
Nuno Dias, lecturer at University of Aveiro; ID+
3 - Foge Comigo! Destination guides
(Guest to be confirmed)
4 - Bookinxisto- A strategy for the digitalisation of destinations
Sérgio Leitão, CEO of Caetsu Publicidade
5 – DarkSky Aldeias do Xisto – Under the stars
Apolónia Rodrigues, President of DarkSky Association
6 - Officina Objetos Improváveis Workshop
Nuno Alves, designer
7 – O Regresso do Linho a Janeiro de Cima
Daniela Pais and Yoad David Luxembourg, designers and project leaders
8 – A Revolta dos Legumes
Casa Da Olaria - Ana Lousada and Carlos Neto, potters
9 – Desenhar a essência dos lugares
Graça Magalhães, artist and lecturer at the University of Aveiro
3.30pm - CAMINHOS PARA A SIGNIFICAÇÃO DOS LUGARES
Presentation of the speakers and debate moderators
- Cláudia Albino, lecturer at University of Aveiro; ID+
- Maria Ana Botelho Neves, researcher at Bangor University
Round Table
- Adélia Borges, critic, curator, historian of design and craftsmanship
- Álvaro Domingues, geographer, lecturer at the University of Porto, CEA
- Eduardo Anselmo de Castro, Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro for Regional Cooperation
- Francisco Providência, designer, lecturer at the University of Aveiro, ID+
CLOSURE
- Jorge Brandão, member of the Executive Committee of Centre 2020
- Paulo Fernandes, Head of ADXTUR
- Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism
6.30pm - TASTING
- Flávio Silva, Chef
The first morning panel addresses Craft+Design+Identity’s trilogy of projects achievements in recent years, with the Agricultura Lusitana exhibition showcasing some of the highpoints, which is still on show at the Museu de Arte Popular.
In the following panel, the design elements of these three projects will be addressed, debating the issues they raise, the paths they point to and how this relationship between design, management, territory and knowledge can be nurtured.
The same morning, three projects on creative tourism, nature and active tourism, and cultural tourism will be presented, which best demonstrate the tourism sector using the concrete reality of the Aldeias do Xisto as a starting point. It is important to study and understand the value of these assets in promoting Portugal and its Central Tourism Region.
The first session of the afternoon consists of quick presentations of 5-minute pitches of diverse projects that showcase the diversity of Aldeias do Xisto’s distinctive proposals in many different markets.
The final session, in a round table format, will close with a synthesis and discussion on the day's presentations. A panel of experts from the most diverse areas of knowledge debate to bring meaning to these spaces.
The Aldeias do Xisto are a brand-destination that, over the past few years, has managed to establish a unique enclave within the Central Region, and in the country as a whole, based on tourism, innovation and wisdom. They have done so by always seeking out the most distinctive and authentic the landscape and their communities have to offer, attracting investment and opening the door to projects that start innovating from the very essence of these places. The relationship with nature, with the land, and with the people has been the guiding principle of this activity, which seeks to revitalise the area based on its cultural uniqueness. This is this seminar’s ongoing mission.
