Crosswalk of Words

About This Project

“Passadeira de palavras” é uma instalação artística concebida pelo Bairro dos Livros, que integrou o Programa de Arte Urbana do Porto e as comemorações do 110º aniversário da Livraria Lello, criada a partir de milhares de contribuições enviadas por leitores de todas as nacionalidades para descrever o Porto e o sentimento que quem o habita tem pela cidade.

A obra materializou-se numa pintura de palavras sobre o pavimento da Rua das Carmelitas, configurando uma passadeira viva, efémera e coletiva, cuja utilização ditou o seu progressivo desaparecimento até à remoção total. Ao longo de todo um ano, a Passadeira de Palavras traduziu as palavras e a emoção de uma cidade cosmopolita e amante dos livros, com uma imensa história literária, que se redefine todos os dias também por quem a visita.

‘Crosswalk of Words’ is an art installation designed by Bairro dos Livros, that was part of Porto’s Program for Urban Art and the celebrations for the 110^th birthday of Livraria Lello, created from thousands of contributions sent by readers of all nationalities to describe Porto and the feeling that those who inhabit it have for the city.

The piece took form as a painting of words on the pavement of Carmelitas Street, constituting a living, ephemeral and collective crosswalk, and its use dictated its progressive disappearance until total removal. Throughout a whole year, the ‘Crosswalk of Words’ translated the words and emotion of a cosmopolitan, book loving city, with a vast literary history, which redefines itself everyday also by those who visit it.

The ‘Crosswalk of Words’ installation, shaped by contributions from all over the world in order to create a crosswalk that would define Porto, included words like “granite”, “douro”, “miradouro”, “fog”, “seagull” and “wine”, alluding to the most typical imagery of Porto around the world, but also author’s names like “Agustina”, “Pina”, “Kundera”, “Tolstoy”, “Camilo”, “Garrett” or “Sophia”. From Chile came the word “sumergirse” and from Mozambique we got “journey”. The most repeated words were “love”, “life”, “dream”, “freedom”, “passion”, “undefeated” and “read”. The Clérigos’ Brotherhood contributed with the words “Nasoni”, “Tower”, “Clérigos”, “Christus” and “Church”, while the writer José Luís Peixoto, for example, chose “whole”.

The work was inaugurated in the 30^th of April of 2016 between both sides of the Carmelitas Street, in front of Livraria Lello, and was visible over a period of a year.

#crosswalkofwords #passadeiradepalavras #porto

Technical specifications:
Author/ Production: Bairro dos Livros
Sponsor: Tintas CIN
Partnership: Porto Lazer
Promotor: Livraria Lello

Clipping:

Público, 06/04/2016: https://www.publico.pt/2016/04/06/local/noticia/livraria-lello-cria-uma-passadeira-de-palavras-no-centro-do-porto-1728329
Porto24, 27/04/2016: http://www.porto24.pt/cidade/passadeira-palavras-duas-mil-vontades/