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EN / PT
Assembly #1
Barlos, TOCA, Galéxia
9 November 2024 15:00 - 17:00
Santa Cruz Shopping Centre
Free / General public
Over the past few decades, first-generation shopping centres in Braga have served as spaces of opportunity for small businesses, services, and independent cultural projects. Between cafés, antique shops, nightclubs, haberdasheries, beauty salons, and rehearsal rooms for bands, these spaces absorbed and contributed to the development of a parallel urban history that the city's traditional streets and squares were unable to accommodate.
To launch the Shopyard project, we invited three cultural initiatives — Barlos, TOCA, and Galéxia — that are currently based in, or have previously been based in, shopping centres in the region of Braga, to discuss the challenges and opportunities these spaces offer for cultural creation and promotion. This conversation took place during the first Shopyard Assembly, in the communal areas of Santa Cruz Shopping Centre, with scenography specially designed for the occasion by architect Francisco Costa.
Barlos is a cultural association located in the Barlos Shopping Centre in Barcelos. After three editions of the Barlos Festival, the association opened its headquarters across from the garden of the Barlos Shopping Centre. This space offers a diverse programme, including music, workshops, sharing sessions, games, outdoor activities, and themed meals. The goal of Barlos is to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable and can explore various cultural aspects. Additionally, the headquarters features a selection of books, vinyl records, and handmade crafts, curated by local partners.
http://barlos.pt
TOCA (Trabalhos de Oficina Cultural e Associativa) was a project promoted by the SYnergia Youth Association, based between 2014 and 2020 in the former cinemas of BragaShopping, in Braga. This cultural space was aimed at the youth and associations of the city, providing them with a venue to share experiences, organise events, and express their creativity.
Galéxia is an independent space dedicated to artistic creation, with a special focus on music production and band rehearsals, located in the Galécia Shopping Centre in Braga.
Francisco Costa is a Portuguese architect and transdisciplinary designer, specialising in architecture, spatial design, installations, scenography, and product design. He graduated in Architecture from the School of Architecture, Art, and Design at the University of Minho (EAAD-UM) in Guimarães, Portugal, complementing his studies with an exchange at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP) in São Paulo, Brazil. His work spans various creative fields, reflecting an integrated approach between architecture and scenography. https://franciscocosta.pt
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Largo Carlos Amarante 117, Braga - Portugal
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