as part of Fabbrica Europa 2024

I spent my childhood and most of my teenage years very quietly.
Countless days reading people and, especially their “non-words”. A “word-gesture”, a “word-gaze”, a “word-breath” contains so much truth and secret that I spend my life trying figure out the paths that they inscribe into the body.
I believe that this is the place where the piece is settled.
Gaya de Medeiros

Atlas da Boca [Atlas of the Mouth] explores two trans bodies through the mouth.
As a symbol, the mouth becomes the interface between the public and the private, between the erotic and the political, between silence and the word that lasts.
Questioning the “words-gestures”, this piece delves into the moments in which the mouth hardens, letting the words come out roaring.

Gaya de Medeiros is a Brazilian choreographer and producer. She studied Animation Film and worked for 9 years as a dancer and co-creator at a Brazilian Dance Company. In Portugal, where she currently lives, worked with multiple creators. In 2022, she created her first piece, Atlas da Boca, premiered at the Alkantara Festival. She’s also created the piece BAqUE, Pai para Jantar and is at the moment working on the piece Cafézinho.
She founded BRABA.plataforma which aims to support, enable and finance initiatives starring/directed toward the Trans community.

direction and production: Gaya de Medeiros
co-creation and performance: Ary Zara, Gaya de Medeiros
provocation, conception and design of “Brief Atlas of the Mouth”: João Emediato
video: Ary Zara
light design: André de Campos
technical director: Ricardo Pimentel
sound operation: Milton Estevam
translation and subtitles: Joana Frazão
management: Marta Moreira/ Irreal
co-production: Alkantara and Companhia Olga Roriz
support: Self-Mistake
institutional support: República Portuguesa – Cultura I DGARTES – Direção-Geral das Artes

photo: Rui Soares