23 & 24 MARCH | Caldas da Rainha Arts Centre

On 23 and 24 March, CENTRA – Associação dos Amigos do Centro de Artes (Association of Friends of the Arts Centre), with the support of Caldas da Rainha City Council and as part of the UNESCO programme: Caldas da Rainha Creative City, proposes the second edition of the event that brings together two of the most important and traditional sectors in the municipality: ceramics and cutlery, once again hand in hand with good food.

As usual, the start of spring heralds the event “TAME THE FIRE – Cutlery, Ceramics and Gastronomy”, at the Caldas da Rainha Arts Centre. Fire, a transformative element by excellence, is an inexhaustible theme, allowing for a huge variety of approaches and the realisation of countless actions. Ceramics, cutlery and gastronomy will remain the central themes of the programme, but this year a broader and more diverse programme will be established.

Focusing on traditional making and Portuguese identity, a unique exhibition stands out, as part of the “Saber Fazer” programme, promoted by the government and developed by DGArtes, which consists of mapping and characterising traditional arts in Portugal, with the aim of valuing Saber Fazer as a unique cultural heritage. This is a travelling exhibition, which will have its first public presentation in Caldas da Rainha.

For this edition, the invitation has also been extended to local associations: DOCA, Armazém Zero, Lume, Artesãos Nisa, Lombo do Ferreiro and Colectivo 19, who will be bringing designer pieces by artisans who keep their traditional identity and culture alive, in a showcase of handicraft making that can be purchased locally.

In the area of cutlery, Paulo Tuna – one of the project’s mentors – who is a regular presence, accompanied by Renato Franco, a repeat sculptor and foundryman. Together, they will travel back in time to the origins of the ancestral steel smelting processes that will serve as the basis for creating the blade. There will also be a special guest: Fernando Cabral, a Brazilian cutler specialising in the art of creating damascus steel, who will bring the aesthetics of the patterns resulting from the process of melting different pieces of steel, which translate into blades with an unparalleled artistic aesthetic.

In ceramics, the potter Miguel Neto is a must-see, showing the ancestral firing processes of handmade ceramics. A moment that takes us back to the imagery of sorcerers and alchemists around the cauldron.

The visual arts will also be present, with a piece by an artist in residence at the Arts Centre: João Paulo Feliciano: “How to Burn an Electric Guitar” will be projected onto the garden’s outdoor space.

In terms of gastronomy, the appetites of fans of good food over an open fire will be whetted. Edgar Reis (O Traçadinho), Ruben Ferreira, Paulo Santos (Forno do Beco) and Archil Shinjikashvili (Geo Wine & Supra) will take you on a journey of flavours that will cater for all tastes, from traditional fire dishes to new vegetarian and vegan trends.

The little ones are always welcome. On Saturday morning they’ll be able to get down to work, modelling clay and learning how to make small creations by transforming the raw material, producing artistic and decorative pieces.

Also noteworthy is the creation of a traditional oven, which will begin construction in the days leading up to the event and will be inaugurated during the event. It will be made from traditional burro brick, produced in one of the last traditional brick ovens in the country to be found in the municipality of Caldas da Rainha. Paulo Santos will be making bread, pizzas and other delicacies.

Of course, there will be music on both days of the event. On Saturday there will be fusion music with flamenco, jazz, Latin rhythms and the sound of the Balkans setting the pace with the performance of Flamen4et with Diego El Gavi. On Sunday, Tiago da Neta, together with students from the Caldas das Rainha Conservatory, will bring traditional Portuguese instruments and music, on a day mainly dedicated to family and community interaction. More than just an event, it will promote the transmission and sharing of knowledge, techniques, methods and traditions!