10 JULY
Around 4pm, Nova Holanda, Maré
I’ve just been with Mariluci, Vitor and Paulo talking to Mariluci’s father, Seu Manel. He was telling us how after retiring he decided to take on painting classes. He’s been a naïve painter ever since. He always uses pointillism as a technique and divides the painting separating around 5cm at the button with a ruler; space he uses to subtitle the painting. He was relocated to Maré complex when the houses were still temporary and made of wood. Years later he built the house that I’m in now.
I fell in love with his paintings and bought one. It’s in my room. It has two donkeys, two emus, a horse, two ducks and a green bar at the bottom saying this.
The sound was recorded on the terrace of his house. After I took this picture, a guy started playing with a kite close to the blue water reservoir.
Around 6pm, Vila do Pinheiro, Ecological park, Maré
This is Elza and Diogo’s favourite place in Maré. It’s the only green space. It is quite amazing and although the city sound is still very predominant, what you see is green and horses feeding on the grass. It doesn’t seem real. Elza said she still finds shells as a fresh memory of the sea that once covered the area where Maré is located.
Around 30 years ago the park was very wild and thus few persons used it. Her mother was one of those who enjoyed doing so; she liked to pick branches of Aroeira tree because it is good to cure infections.
When Elza was 13 the state transformed it into what it is today. Well… due to the lack of maintenance it degraded a lot from what it once was. ‘But it’s still one of the most beautiful places in Maré’ Elza says.
Elza and Diogo insisted that the photograph be taken during the day to show how beautiful and green it is. The recording documented the transition from day to night.
Diogo’s flip-flops broke on our way back. We had to look for a stick in the dark to remedy the situation. It worked.