Amal Yaakoubi’s residency in Lisbon

During this past summer, in the context of Slash Transition, Casa Capitão welcomed the Tunisian sound artist Amal Yaakoubi for its first cycle of artistic residencies. The artist spent three weeks in Beato exploring the concept of liminal space and translating it into a sound composition.

The process began with walks through the neighborhood and visits to key locations, with Mafalda Corrêa Nunes, the selected territory facilitator. During these walks, we could observe how Beato and Marvila are split into different areas, marked by different characteristics, and separated by many frontiers, being the main one between gentrification and non-gentrification. The most visible separation is set by two train lines, between the interior area of Beato, that many consider to be still in time, and the riverside area which has experienced a strong and visible transformation in the last years. 

After assessing the territory, Amal interviewed Silvia Rebelo, one of the co-founders of Fábrica Braço de Prata, a key organization in the territory that has been directly impacted by this transformation. Creating a sound that reflects abstract constructs such as liminal space and transition implies connecting with the space, its inhabitants, and communities. During three weeks, Amal experienced many of the territory’s nuances, talked to residents, visited cultural organizations and felt Beato. At the same time, the artist worked in a studio where the sounds of Beato met and intertwined with the sonorities of her own voice, electric guitar and the oud.

The result was a rich composition of sounds, music and poetry capable of reflecting key aspects of the territory, while transforming the feeling of existence and transition into sound.

Photos: Diana Matias