The River Tapajós, one of Brazil’s largest rivers, is polluted by illegal mercury mining. The Brazilian director Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha visualises the testimonies of the river basin’s inhabitants and the river itself in the ritualistic performance Tapajós, using analogue photographic development, a method that initially used to employ mercury.
Brazil’s rivers and the inhabitants of their basins are enduring an apocalyptic disaster. Among others, the water of the River Tapajós, one of the River Amazon’s largest tributaries, is polluted by illegal mercury mining. The Brazilian artist and activist Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha has spent years working on an artistic research project on the endangered riverscapes. She regularly travels in the Amazon regions and has been networking with resistance fighters throughout the country in this context. Tapajós is an ardent, ritualistic performance that emerged out of such an encounter with mothers – humans and non-humans, who live along the River Tapajós. The testimonies of the women and the river materialise amid the intimate stage setting by means of analogue photographic development – a method that initially used to employ mercury.
Concept, Direction Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha and Rio Tapajós With Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, Mafalda Pequenino Process creation Sofia Tomic, João Freddi, Vicente Otávio, Mafalda Pequenino, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha Direction assistance Sofia Tomic Photographs Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, João Freddi, Vicente Otávio Photography technicians João Freddi, Vicente Otávio Text editing Manoela Cezar, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, Sofia Tomic, João Marcelo Iglesias Image Editing Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, João Freddi, Marina Schiesari, Sofia Tomic, Vicente Otávio Dramaturgy Alessandra Korap, Maria Leusa Munduruku, Ediene Munduruku, Cacica Isaura, Ana Carolina Alfinito, Paulo Basta, Julia Ferreira Corrêa, Rosana Farias Mascarenhas, Dalva de Jesus Vieira, Osmar Vieira de Oliveira, Celiney Eulália de Oliveira Lobato, Rodrigo Oliveira, Mauricio Torres, Eric Jennings Technical Direction, Lighting Jimmy Won Lighting assistence Matheus Espessoto Sound design Felipe Storino Sound technique, Multimedia creation Bruno Carneiro Costume design Sio Duhi Scenography Sofia Tomic, Ciro Schu, Jimmy Wong Exhibition design Marina Schiesari Consultancy Raimunda Gomes Da Silva, Dinah De Oliveira, Tomás Ribas Production in the Territory Carolina Ribas Production management Ariane Cuminale General production management Gabi Gonçalves
Production Corpo Rastreado, Aruac Filmes, Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, Projeto Margens Coproduction Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Les Spectacles vivants – Centre Pompidou (Paris), Les Halles de Schaerbeek (Brüssel), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brüssel), La rose des vents – scène nationale Lille Métropole – Villeneuve d’Ascq / Nextfestival, théâtre Garonne (Toulouse), Internationales Sommerfestival Kampnagel (Hamburg) Support and Partners Associação Fotoativa, Clube do Analógico Associated Production Associação de Mulheres Munduruku Pariri, Associação Sairé In partnership with Associação de Mulheres Munduruku Pariri, Associação Sairé, Associação Fotoativa Support research and development Manchester International Festival World premiere May 2025, Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
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