The Cultural Preservation Center (CPC) of USP is promoting a photography contest with the theme of Bixiga. Well known by São Paulo locals as one of the most traditional neighborhoods in the city, Bixiga actually does not exist in the city’s administrative division. It’s precisely its set of cultural and historical references that makes this region of Bela Vista, located between Major Diogo Street, Nove de Julho Avenue, Sílvia Street, and Brigadeiro Luís Antônio Avenue, such a unique territory. And it’s on Major Diogo Street where Casa de Dona Yayá, headquarters of CPC-USP, is located. With this contest, CPC-USP aims to provoke a careful look from those who walk through the city to recognize through photography the numerous cultural manifestations that constitute Bixiga’s heritage.
Anyone over 18 years old can participate in the “Images in Heritage: Bixiga” contest, regardless of whether they have any affiliation with the University of São Paulo. The photographs can be submitted individually or collectively (with the author linked to groups or social associations) and must correspond to the categories of Celebrations, Forms of Expression, Places, Objects and Buildings, and Knowledge. Registrations are free and can be made via electronic form until May 31, 2024. Winners will receive a R$ 500.00 voucher from the University of São Paulo Press (Edusp) and their works will be featured in an e-book catalog. The call for entries with all the information about the “Images in Heritage: Bixiga” contest is available on the CPC-USP website. Interested individuals can also follow the @imagem_em_patrimonio profile on Instagram.
Multicultural Territory
The origins of Bixiga are marked by the presence of communities of quilombola blacks and Portuguese traders who settled there. Later, Italian immigrants arrived, attracted by the ease of access and affordable land prices. More recently, the population of Bixiga has been joined by northeastern migrants and, in recent years, new waves of foreigners from African countries, the Arab world, and Haiti.
Urban development and the different social groupings have completely transformed the old landscape of the farm lots belonging to Portuguese José Antônio Leite Braga over time. They have imprinted upon the region an identity rich in flavors, sounds, and religious diversity. Today, Bixiga is recognized for samba, the presence of street samba, Carnival blocks, and the Vai-Vai Samba School, for its Italian trattorias and bakeries, for the traditions of Nossa Senhora da Achiropita Parish, spiritist centers, and Afro-Brazilian worship houses. It’s also known for its concentration of theaters and cultural centers.
Despite being protected by Resolution 22-2002 of the Municipal Council for the Preservation of Historical, Cultural, and Environmental Heritage of the City of São Paulo (Conpresp), the Bixiga region faces constant challenges in preserving its characteristics and traditions due to real estate market interests and subway expansion works. According to Professor Flávia Brito do Nascimento, director of CPC-USP, the “Images in Heritage: Bixiga” contest is a way to draw attention to this rich set of cultural references in the city and to contribute to the debate and reflection on memory, belonging, and the multiple ways of understanding and living the city’s cultural heritage in an affective territory for so many distinct groups, aiming to broaden this understanding through photographic records.
Free Workshop
As a complementary activity to the contest, CPC-USP will hold the photography workshop “Looking at the Bixiga Neighborhood,” a face-to-face activity that will take place from May 8 to 29, with instructor Dani Sandrini. The workshop aims to introduce participants to the variables of photography, the resources of each camera, and possibilities of composition, making intersections with the fields of society, architecture, urbanism, and heritage in their various forms. In addition to the lectures, two photographic outings will be organized. Danielle Pierre Sandrini is a photographer, educator, and visual artist. Graduated in Social Communication from the School of Communication and Arts of USP, she works with photography both commercially and as a tool for educational, recreational, and therapeutic proposals. Registrations and more information are available on the Apolo System, USP’s course platform.
Service
Photography contest “Images in Heritage: Bixiga”
Free registrations via electronic form