RENDA-SE AO ALTO DAS MERCÊS

Renda-se ao Alto das Mercês is an artistic installation that toke place in São João del-Rei. The title is based on the latin term reddere (re + dare) wich means to return. It is inspired by the collection of lace from Fortim dos Emboabas and the remarkable historical event known as “Capão da Traição” - massacre in which paulistas were surrendered during the Emboabas War. Also, the name stablishes an ambiguous meaning as in Portuguese Render-se means to surrender and Rendar means to do a lace. The project aims to promote the participation of the local population by means a collective artistic event based on laces - a product of the local culture - which are produced physically and digitally. The interface consists of a mobile application that digitally reproduces the hand loom using SVG images. Each user interacts with a digital loom, creating a lace with colors that represent different desires. The data generated is displayed in an interactive environment through projections: 1) A mosaic containing the information entered by the users (color, text and lace design); 2) Projection containing an animation of the last lace sent; 3) A video explaining how to produce the physical lace.