Arroz Estúdios Cultural Association
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Arroz Estúdios Association is a non-profit organisation that provides working space for emerging artists, and event spaces for them to showcase their work. Our goal is to offer a space for artistic growth where cultural events take place to contribute to Lisbon’s rapid development in a creative, open and multi-cultural way. We work with both local and international artists engaging the local communities and giving international links.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Associação Arroz Estúdios is a non-profit cultural association currently based in Beato, Lisbon. We provide workspaces for artists and creatives to collaborate and express themselves freely through studios placed in disused industrial spaces which are transformed into spaces of creative arts, with the contribution of resident artists and the rest of the artistic community.
We’re submitting for prize consideration the bridge building activities centred around Rare Effect events and taking place in the setting of Arroz, physically and virtually. Allowing artist communities to meet the DeFi tech industries and develop ideas together, while finding ways to cooperate and support each other, instead of competing for space and talent.
Integral to this project is the rehabilitation of the 2nd and current home to Arroz Estudios, in Beato, Lisbon (Portugal), composed of 14 independent art studios, an indoor events space of over 600m2, an art gallery dedicated to exhibitions, a community workshop, coworking for 10 people, and a 1000m2 courtyard re-built in together with Mergulho Urbano - Ambiente e Arte.
Mergulho is a collective of 4 members, aiming to improve the quality of the urban environment through the creation and rehabilitation of green spaces, currently degraded or in disuse, betting on the concept of "Agro-civicism" that proposes the diffusion of agricultural activities in urban areas, creating in the population the will and possibility to preserve their green areas, thus generating a new civic commitment. In February 2020, the Mergulho Collective proposed the rehabilitation and revitalization of the outdoor space of the Association Arroz Estúdios, envisioning the construction of a multifunctional area to support events with a wood-burning oven and bar, and the transformation of the ex-industrial space into a green space, with a garden of native plants, a vegetable garden and a plant nursery
Key objectives for sustainability
Valorisation of spaces that are currently disused or degraded; Focusing on using recycled materials; Engaging and prioritising local suppliers; Investigation of viable sustainability methods; Practice of Circular Economy.
In rehabilitating old industrial warehouses, disused for decades, and rebuilding them into viable structures, we keep the raw industrial feel of the buildings and add in necessities (such as more walls for private studios, toilets & events facilities) to make them functioning studios and events spaces.
The construction of the wood-fired oven and the pizzeria/bar, for example, allowed for the valorisation of the previously disused or degraded space, creating a functional and welcoming terrace for the community and the members. To build all the structures, discarded materials were used, either found in the space itself or recovered from the city.
The materials used for the construction of the pizzeria structure are the following:
Pallets donated by different local associations; The slabs and the marble washbasins used for the counters were recovered from an illegal dump, cleaning a derelict place in the process; The bricks for the construction of the wood oven, as well as some furniture, mirrors and shelves, were also found in the same abandoned areas, and recovered and reused; Wood, such as beams and slats, for the ceiling construction were recovered from a creative hub in Alcantara, Impact Hub. Our work consisted of dismantling a stage and an amphitheater that was going to be thrown away and reuse its parts; Metal plates of the roof were found in the space itself, recovered and reused; The wooden plates that are part of the exterior structure of the pizzeria and bar counters were taken from the site, and made space for the garden; The lamps and some iron structures were recovered from the refuse of a company selling old iron
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Restoration of disused buildings and reuse of heritage for artistic use; Greening urban spaces and re-/establishing insect friendly gardens and greeneries; Providing an undisturbed environment, for creative reflection and social interaction; Encouraging a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Arroz Estudios turns derelict spaces into artist studios, with an emphasis on connecting with the surrounding communities. We provide a canvas for the community to express themselves through the aesthetics of the space, painted and designed by the community itself. With a curation looking to guide the project identity towards minimal/abstract illustrative imagery representing female and minorities’ empowerment. The messages are spread through murals, eco cups designs or event-specific scenography.
The large courtyard can be converted according to need and purpose. Its green spaces make the environment inviting and provide an inspiring and creative oasis for creating meaningful connections and synergies with the community and with the arts. The native plants bring a bit of park life into the community and are home to insects, lizards and birds, and the vegetable garden provides raw ingredients for the pizzeria while attracting pollinators.
The garden, the vegetable garden and the nursery were part of the second phase of the project, in order to bring the community closer to nature and make the space a small green lung in the heart of the association. As per the key objectives for sustainability above the garden was created accordingly:
The plants in the garden were either donated by the community or saved by us; The grass mats in the garden's soil were donated by the community and reused; The soil was recovered from private gardens and fertilized with compost made by us; The vases and boxes were built by reusing the same wooden boards that we found in Hub Criativo and used to build the structure of the balconies.
Key objectives for inclusion
Involving the local community in cultural events and in the development of the area; Supporting minorities and humanitarian values; Involving the Portuguese artistic community and give them an international platform; Development of a diverse platform for creating synergies and knowledge sharing; Encouraging creativity using art as a means of raising awareness.
Our project involves emerging artists in a diverse community, promoting accessible workspaces for local and international creatives. We offer studios and co-working to a wide range of arts, from traditional Portuguese painters to international digital artists, sound engineers, producers and scenographers.
During confinement, between 75% to 90% of our studio residents lost their jobs. In response we committed to pausing the rent so no one would lose their studio.
Upon reopening we reinvented the use of the Arroz Estúdios space, adapting our cultural program to an outdoor terrace with 100 seats and a pizzeria. Our capacity was reduced by 80%, so we presented more small capacity events to achieve our goals, while creating job opportunities for creatives who lost their job. Residents were given the option of working in the events and getting a volunteer fee for their contribution, helping cover their studio rent.
As part of our continued support of the creative community in Lisbon, we launched a project to give free physical studio space to digital artists from low-income backgrounds in the scope of onboarding artists into the world of NFT’s and the NEAR network and supporting them with more tools and methods for creativity.
"Planting Air" is intended to be a creative catalyst promoting artistic creation while offering democratic conditions for working and sharing. ‘Planting A.I.R’ (artist in residence) went through a 3-week open call, inviting digital artists who didn’t have easy access to learning materials during their education. The open call was peer reviewed.
Results in relation to category
Arroz Estudios has strong impact on mobilising culture and the community. Its first home was in Cacilhas, Almada in Sept 2018 in a riverside warehouse overlooking Lisbon, where we created 8 studios, a gallery, event space and café. In the first 12 months, we had over 4000 members and held over 50 events including over 15 exhibitions of different artists.
In December 2019, due to a real estate development at Cacilhas site, we relocated to Beato and moved to an abandoned and derelict complex. After reinstalling basic utilities, we transformed the industrial space with the help of the entire community and of Mergulho Collective focusing on sustainability, recycling and reusing for a greener area.
A big part of the creativity community followed our relocation and with a reach to locals in the new non-centric area, we saw another period of extremely rapid growth: In a fortnight we filled all 14 studios; in the three months between the inauguration and Covid19 stopping all activities, we added 2000 members to the existing 4000.
Our events aim to involve the local community and promote Portuguese art; including a free Sunday market focusing on promoting emergent artisans. We prioritise in every event the involvement and promotion of residents and members of the association in the production of events and in the selection of exhibiting artists. A perfect example was exactly Rare Effect - an NFT Festival, which involved more than 50 creatives in the programming, curation, assembling, maintaining and advocating all that sustained the first NFT Festival in Europe creating an enormous feeling of ownership of the space and inclusion in the community.
The organisational structure is also characterised by the active participation of the members in decision-making, through meetings and surveys. We run frequent surveys that go from the assignment of the association roles to the selection of artists for the next exhibitions or the design of the next Arroz Estudios ecocup
How Citizens benefit
We use our spaces for events presenting a varied artistic range to the public, often creating synergies between national and international artists. Visitors include promoters, investors and locals who understand art as a way of expression, and training for this we have two galleries, space for musical events, pizzeria and an outdoor terrace. Our program consists of an average of 8 events per week, from art exhibitions, live jam sessions, social and community solidarity events, to local music shows.
In 2020 to adapt to Covid19 realities, Arroz Estúdios chose to promote smaller events more frequently in order to maintain access to culture, art and entertainment, supporting the mental and social health of the community as well as creative and professional development.
Thus, from 2020 the association is open every day from 10am to 8pm for residents; the terrace, bar and pizzeria opening every day at 4pm for association members.
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays feature music events of various kinds (vinyl records, electronic music, and jam sessions); Wednesdays feature open-air cinema nights with films and games presented on our 3-meter high screen; Fridays atre pizza nights with the resident pizzaiolos; Saturdays is special programme selected by guest promoters; and on Sundays we present market, music, performances and workshops headed under various themes including art, sustainability, LGBTI+
Rare Effect events opened physical and virtual doors to anyone curious about the possibilities in blockchain technologies and systems to create, present and sell art or set up sustainable frameworks for artistic freedom and expression to thrive within. The audience were invited to participate and learn, and the events have reached audiences all over the world and continue to affect collective ideas development in the community as well as providing resources for initiatives such as Panting A.I.R and rewarding the free association work via NEAR.
Innovative character
As with many cultural initiatives the Arroz community faces the existential threat not only of gentrification, but of the uncertain consequences of a post-pandemic world. A desire emerged to create new opportunities for expression and the promotion of creativity through technology, specifically Blockchain technology. We initiated a dialogue around decentralised technologies, the emergence of DeFi (Decentralised Finance) and how these could be harnessed to create financial inclusion opportunities for artists. Along with technical workshops on how to coin artworks within Blockchain, and trade through purpose-built digital marketplaces and platforms.
To expand the boundaries of the art world throught NFTs and rethink ecosystems and ways of making, Arroz Estudios co-created Art Progression Now collective, an international art collective of technology partners, artists and software developers working to advance digital and crypto arts beyond niche interests.
Since Feb 2020, the collective can two editions of Rare Effect, an NFT art exhibition and festival, involving exhibitions, talks and live dj sets and performances taking place both physically and virtually. Rare Effects reached a large international audience of artists, buyers and curious minds, bringing traditional artists into a new sphere of possibilities and onboarding them in relevant topics of this progressive field. The physical edition of the event, materialised digital art into a physical exhibition and explored the contrast between an industrial metal setting and a high tech scenography displaying 39 lcd screens, 3 VR headsets and 5 interactive installations around generative art and artificial intelligence.
Parallel to the initiative, Arroz Estúdios established a NEAR guild; setting up an internal token reward method for studio residents and associates for the time put into collective projects and general association work.
