Mapping Brazil - Heritage: São Paulo and Porto Alegre

Mapping Brazil - Heritage: São Paulo and Porto Alegre

The 2015 update on heritage in Brazil – by Mariângela Castro

 

São Paulo/SP

Publications, Websites And Portals

Memória, Trabalho E Arquitetura (2013)  
This book contains the texts presented at the symposium of the same name (“memory, labour and architecture”) held by the Centre for Cultural Preservation at the University of São Paulo in 2010. Based on the understanding that built heritage is the result of collective, shared enterprises, the texts in the publication link the historical transformations in architecture with developments in production processes. Its editors, João Marcos Lopes and José Lira, aim to bring to light the multiple ways of understanding architectural heritage and history, the many processes and agents engaged in its production, and the construction and decorative traditions they are part of, through relationships of autonomy, reciprocity, exchange and subordination.

São Paulo Antiga (“Old São Paulo”) (2010)
This website is designed to register what is going on in São Paulo, drawing on contributions from the fields of journalism, history, architecture and photography, while also inviting contributions by members of the public. It focuses on cataloguing the main transformations in the city, as was done in the past by some renowned photographers like Militão Augusto de Azevedo, Guilherme Gaensly and Aurélio Becherini.

The website raises the main issues concerning the preservation and conservation of the history of São Paulo, such as the first major change when it lost its colonial features at the height of the coffee industry: in the name of progress, it was considered a good idea to demolish practically the whole city and build a new one along more European lines. However, only very little of this “new” city has survived, and scant evidence remains to tell the story.

Anybody can collaborate with the website, submitting written information or even pictures via the “contact” link in the top menu about places where there is some abandoned or jeopardised heritage.

Guia Cultural Do Estado De São Paulo (2001) 
Published by Itaú Cultural in partnership with SEADE, this guide identifies the cultural potential of the municipalities and regions in the state of São Paulo through a new survey of the state’s cultural manifestations and related infrastructure. It presents data on institutions, facilities, events, cultural heritage and municipal management practices. It can be consulted at the library of Itaú Cultural’s “Observatório Cultural”.

Artistic And Cultural Collections Owned By São Paulo City
This portal run by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Culture provides historical material on the city and/or indicates where such information can be found so that readers can find out more about each collection owned by the local authority.

Revista Cpc, Centre For Cultural Conservation, University Of São Paulo (since 1961)
This online journal produced by the University of São Paulo’s Centre for Cultural Preservation publishes articles, reviews and testimonials by different authors about tangible and intangible heritage, collections, archives, conservation and restoration with the aim of promoting discussion and reflection about the multiple aspects of cultural heritage.

Porto Alegre (Rio Grande Do Sul State)

Publications, Websites And Portals

List Of Cultural Heritage In The Centre Of Porto Alegre (2006)
This website was devised by the Municipal Secretariat of Culture to identify all the buildings listed as cultural heritage in Porto Alegre. The idea is to keep updating the information about spaces and buildings of historical interest to the public. The map of the historical centre of Porto Alegre shows the location of 52 listed sites identified in different colours according to whether they are protected on a municipal, state or federal level.

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