PROMORIVER
Site description
The River Alvoco, which runs for 37km, starts in the Serra da Estrela (the highest point in Portugal) and flows into Ponte das 3 Entradas (a bridge with 3 entrances), where it joins the river Alva, following on to the mouth in the Mondego river, in Coimbra. The river, with varying flow gradients along its path, is situated in a rural area, presenting various types of sound. The area around the river Alvoco had a number of river related professions, such as millers, river-keepers and kingfishers which are now long gone. Currently, leisure fishing and bathing in the hot summer months are the main activities along the river. Previously existing mills along the banks of the river, used for grinding corn and rye, are no longer used. Some mills have been recovered, inspired by the will of people dedicated to their long-standing heritage. Although the mills no longer work as they once did, the community who drew their livelihood from them still share the memories associated to the mills.
Existing problems
In the case of my project, I am especially interested in the acoustic heritage of the area through which the Alvoco river flows. The need to record sounds that may be becoming extinct, and the need to rescue from memory life stories connected to the river, are fundamental parts of my work.There is a complete aural identity at risk. The ‘passing’ of these sounds, once characteristic of the river and the villages growing on its shores, seem to walk hand in hand with the extinction of the professions that once encouraged them; river-keepers and millers from the Alvoco river valley. Is this ‘passing’ as permanent as the ones announced by the bells played by the calloused hands of Serafim, a habitant of Alvoco das Várzeas? (Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal). Of course, these villages are not dead, but their lives are not the same as in days gone by. The mills no longer rotate and the river-keeper has long stopped protecting the crystal clear waters of the river.
Objectives
The creation of a sound archive of the river Alvoco valley for future recollection is the fundamental goal of the project. The heritage of the inhabitants of the river area must be sought after, their memories and identity preserved, by carefully listening to the whispers of the river.
Sounds of the river Alvoco
by Luís Antero,
Alvoco das Várzeas, Portugal
Case study description
The project is the documentation and creation of a sound archive of the Alvoco river valley (Alvoco da Serra, Seia and Ponte das 3 Entradas, Oliveira do Hospital) through the use of field recordings. The project is an artistic creation of audio work, based on recordings and their online editing. Another similar documentation and archive project includes audio compositions from the Alva river valley, relating to rural and ethnographic architecture, such as watermills and water wheels on the banks of the Alva.
Project statistics
Start date: 2008
End date: Ongoing project
Nº of people involved: One permanent person, as well as invited collaborators.
Budget: Personal project, with no funding
Location: Alvoco river valley, in the counties of Seia (Guarda) and Oliveira do Hospital (Coimbra)
Website: Sons de Alvoco
Implementation
The project was implemented by my own desire, as a resident and aficionado of the area. My method involves the audio recording of the countryside, aided by written notes, photographs and videos. As well as recordings, I have had the opportunity to perform countryside recording workshops with young people, as well as creating events of an ethnographic nature (photography exhibitions, traditional music concerts, promoting local songbooks, etc.)
Outcomes and success
Working artistically in the Alvoco river valley (and that of the Alva river also) allows me to constantly discover new details connected to the river and riverine populations. This preservation for future recollection has been performed through audio recordings, whether it be through sounds connected to water, or sounds that are found within the living memory of inhabitants of this area. Through this work, I have managed (or so I think) to promote this area, highlighting the acoustic heritage present (much of it unknown by most people). I have also demonstrated that art can and should be available to all, serving as a connection between populations with the same cultural identity, such as is the case with the Alvoco river valley.
Future actions
The first step on this journey has been completed, through the collection of the sounds, preserving them for generations to come. It is a neverending project, and so, I go on working…
