(igualdade!)(equality!)

A 20 meter table-cloth was produced in collaboration with artist Carlos Noronha Feio in response to his site-specific artwork (igualdade!), which stands for (equality!) at Terraços Atelier Noronha Feio, Odivelas, Portugal.

The objective of Noronha Feio’s piece (equality!) is to raise questions, arouse curiosity and provoke dialogue. Its appearance, painted on the floor of an extensive terrace, visitable, passable and visible from the surrounding buildings and upper terraces, makes it possible - without implying any intrusion into its current public use - to initiate a debate on the nature of everyday life in an urban environment with both one of the highest population densities in Portugal, as well one of its most culturally diverse territories.

The table-cloth will be used to cover a long table during a community picnic conceived to celebrate local diversity. The deadstock fabric used to produce the table-cloth derives from Fabrics at Play - a circular economy project, and highlights this as an opportunity to equate sustainability with equality. It creates a visual focus for the local population, hopefully producing curiosity and new engagements with the arts and a better awareness of the diversity of cultures and their rich cohabitation. It is also a form of acknowledging plurality beyond social and architectural inequalities. We all share the need to eat, so let’s allow ourselves the experience of sharing a table that reflects the diverse food cultures within the city, the local neighbourhood, and realize that they are not just about sustenance; they are a celebration of (equality!), a representation of diversity and unity presented by our neighbours diverse backgrounds and identities.

The artwork will be launched on May 3 from 3–8pm with The project is supported by DGArtes (Directorate-General for the Arts—Ministry of Culture of the Portuguese Republic), the City Council of Odivelas, and is produced by Mapa das Ideias.