Manchester Histories Festival 2022 – For those who are to come
Exhibition curated by Eduardo Carvalho and Vanessa Gabriel-Robinson
Runs until June 16th
For those who are to come presents the diverse faces and colours of Amazonia. The exhibition was first shown at COP26 and is now in Manchester for the first time as part of the festival. Curated by Eduardo Carvalho and Vanessa Gabriel–Robinson the exhibition presents photographs from three influential photographers that show the different Amazonias within a single Amazonia: Marcela Bonfim, from Rondônia State; Bruno Kelly, from Amazonas State; and Nailana Thiely, from Pará State.
With an ever–watchful eye on the people of the forest – people who write the history of the region every day – their photographs help us to reflect on the importance of keeping this ecosystem alive and finding solutions to minimise the impact of exploitation.
/ For those who are to come
Manifesto
For those who are to come
Just one Amazonia, but we are many and we are diverse. Our knowledge and ancestry are different, but we have a common goal of keeping the forest standing and our history alive, passed down from generation to generation.
Our time is not the same as your time; you, who are always looking at your watches, always feeling that you are running late, always trying to catch up.
Here, nature is in charge. She defines when it rains and when the wind blows; when to harvest, to fish and to sow; when the river rises and falls; when we stay where we are or have to leave. All we can do is keep silent, watch, respect, adapt, evolve with the forest. Living in the present is essential for us.
We want to remind you why you are here. To make you feel part of nature again. To encourage you to slow down. Man’s impact on the environment is change, once slow and gradual, it is now accelerated. It’s vital to work together to slow down the impacts of such changes as our survival is threatened.
It is necessary for us all to act so that the black, indigenous and riverside communities of Amazonia can keep their ancient knowledge – to live from, and for, the forest. To fulfil our mission to build a future for those who are to come. To keep the forest alive.
About the Curators:
Eduardo Carvalho
A Latin American fellow of the Chevening Clore Leadership, 2019-2021, Eduardo worked for six years at the Museum of Tomorrow, a technological, scientific museum in Rio de Janeiro. There, he developed exhibitions and experiences with a focus on the engagement of the audience in social themes, like climate change, conviviality, culture, environment conservation and refugees. Among his principal works, were the exhibitions: Coronacene-Reflection in the Pandemic Times; Amazonia (opens in 2021); Food for Tomorrow – Feeding 10 Billion (Bronze Medal of The Grands Prix, formerly known as the International Design and Communication Awards); Inovanças: Creations Brazilian style, which reached half a million visitors in ten months. He led the creation of IRIS+, an experience with Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with IBM Watson – that was quoted by The New York Times as an example of innovation worldwide, and was an industrial mentor of VR experience Amazonia in partnership with Miami Dade College, from the USA.
Vanessa Gabriel-Robinson
Born in Amapa (in the Amazon region), Vanessa is a former journalist and PR from Brazil and has dedicated more than 12 years in the development and implementation of cultural projects and policies in national and international scale.She has worked in key organisations, such as the British Council, Queen Mary University, Create London, LOCOG 2012, and Instituto Claro, delivering and managing projects in the creative and cultural sector with focus on arts for social change, peace dialogue and diversity and inclusion. She has worked in countries with different political and social environment, such as Brazil, Colombia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Bahrain. Currently, Vanessa is Senior Project Officer at the Greater London Authority, where she manages two strategic Mayoral projects. She is also chair of the Latin-American Women Service Resources (LAWRS) and fellow of the Civic Futures Programme, created by Sadiq Khan. Vanessa has funded the Instituto BR and is one the creators of the Escola Livre da Amazonia (based in Belem, Para).
About the Photographers
Nailana Thiely
A journalist and documentary filmmaker for national and local media who develops research in visual arts with an emphasis on relational processes. She holds a degree in Social Communication and a MA in Amazonia & Cultural Communication (both from the Federal University of Pará). She is also a Graphic Designer. Her work has been part of national and international exhibitions, such as the Tiradentes Photography Festival (2021), Sobre Sueños, abismos y otras fronteras, Centro de Fotografia de Montevideo (2019) and Light and Lightness, Newport University / UK (2010). She has also been awarded with a scholarship for research in Visual Arts by Centre Vu, in Québec City, Canada. Her first solo exhibition was held in 2005, when she did research to rescue the memory of residents of the outskirts of Belém, through their family portraits. Her work is focused on human rights and sustainability.
Marcela Bonfim
Marcela was born in Jaú (Sao Paulo) but has been living in Porto Velho (Rondonia), since 2010, when her work as photographer became more and more important. She has a degree in economics from Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-SP). In her work, Marcela gives voice and space to the traditional black communities from the Amazon region, using her images to denounce racism faced by those communities as well as the lack of public policies from the public sector to support them. Marcela is an activist for the rights of Black people and her work aims to rescue the history of the African diaspora in the region, a chapter that is invisible in Brazilian history. Her lenses capture the resistance of these communities to preserve and protect their culture and traditions. Marcela has been nominated and selected for the PIPA Prize, one of the most prestigious recognitions for Brazilian contemporary artists.
Bruno Kelly
Bruno Kelly is a Brazilian photographer based in Manaus who works mainly for international media. Born in São José dos Campos (Sao Paulo), he has a degree in Social Communication (University of Vale of Paraíba). His work focuses on the socio-environmental impact of traditional people of the Amazon and crimes against the forest. He currently collaborates with Reuters and the independent and investigative journalism agency, Amazônia Real, a local news agency based in Manaus created by two local journalists, aiming to show the rest of the world the real Amazon and its main problems. His work has been part of national and international exhibitions, and he was a finalist of the 2020 Vladimir Herzog award. In 2021, he launched the book Arapaima, which shows the sustainable work made by the riverside communities in the Mamiraua reserve to preserve one of the most important fishes of the Amazon region, the pirarucu.
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