Lusitanian Agriculture was the central theme when Aldeias do Xisto represented Portugal as a guest country at the EUNIQUE 2015- International Fair for Applied Arts and Design, in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 8 to 10 May.  The project involved around 150 people, from 9 national design colleges, 22 craft workshops, and a design team, who were invited to immerse themselves in the real lives of the villages and be inspired by that context so that, from there, they could create meaningful objects of Lusitanian memory and identity relating to Portuguese culture, the values of the land and the Portuguese spirit.

Reinventing the culture of these places with the people who live there is how the Aldeias do Xisto act in order to create social and economic value in the area. When summoning creativity and wisdom, we are experimenting with our identity. We can make this region a living laboratory, open to new ideas and people who are capable of creating hubs for the transformation of the social fabric and give rise to new ways of doing, acting and being.

Find out more details about the Portuguese delegation through the website Agricultura Lusitana or through our Facebook page.

Portuguese agriculture - a Journey of Discovery through the Aldeias do Xisto.
We have also prepared an 8-day tourist programme to enable you to discover the expertise and skills of the Aldeias do Xisto.

• 10 aldeias do xisto visited
• 2 Local knowledge and know-how experiences: traditional goat cheese; wood oven-baked bread
• 3 Craft Workshops:  Felt, Weaving, Wood Carving
• 5 Nature Walking Trails
• Sleeping in local accommodation and traditional cottages in contact with local people
• Local cuisine served at dinners based on traditional recipes

Bookings until 30 June will receive a 20% discount.
Learn more here.

This project, financed by the PROVERE - Programme for the Economic Enhancement of Endogenous Resources, is supported by the Secretary of State for Culture, the Portuguese Embassy in Berlin, the Consulate General in Stuttgart and Turismo Centro de Portugal.

New connections
The Agricultura Lusitana initiative is tasked with molding itself around our model of identity – agricultural heritage as the essence of knowing how to do, be and live – being a set of actors and frontiers of knowledge in fields as diverse as history, ethnography, culinary, craft, design, traditional arts and crafts, handiwork, digital production, ecology and audio-visual, in order to conceptualise and produce goods and services in the local context capable of fulfilling contemporary demand.
To generate a new range of products and services, prototypes and experiences that, besides enriching our ability to do, allow us to establish new commercial, strategic and emotive links with other social, cultural and economic organisations, thereby enhancing the Aldeias do Xisto brand.
Rui Simão
Coordinator of the Aldeias do Xisto

In the previous projects, Água Musa and L4Craft, the artisanal know-how of various craft workshops was combined with the field of design to look at and interpret places through immersion in the area, guided by a cross-cutting theme and materialising itself in meaningful artefacts. This link between craft and design has proven to be positive and continues into this Agricultura Lusitana project, which, by incorporating universities, has broadened the scope of its methodology, which is based on the direct relationship between knowledge and reality.

STAND- AWAKENING THE SENSES AND REVEALING THE PORTUGUESE SOUL

The Aldeias do Xisto stand in its representation of Portugal envelops its visitors in the rythms of the Lusitanian earth, awakening the senses, evoking memories and opening their eyes to its potential for national creativity and production. An invitation to travel throughout the area and taste traditional flavours. The services of the Aldeias do Xisto partners (accommodation, restaurants, entertainment) are also promoted at the stand, and various Aldeias do Xisto visiting programmes are on offer.

The stand covers 500 sq metres and features:

1 -ARTISTS+DESIGNERS
Know-how and project methodology
2- SCHOOLS+VILLAGES
Immersion in the real life of the villages
3- DECA UA + FABLAB
Fusion of high and low technology
4– VIDEO INSTALLATION
A journey through the senses and the Aldeias do Xisto
5- INSTALLATIONS
Goats, Blankets, Baskets and Ladders - icons of the area
6 -CUISINE
A space where you can sample local knowledge and flavours