CASA DE PARTIDA — ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES

Within the context of the CASA DE PARTIDA exhibition, Susana Cereja developed a cycle of artistic residencies that, with the support of Arraiolos City Council and CITA, became part of the festival O Tapete Está na Rua. Centred on collaborative creation and dialogue with different communities, the residencies took place in Lisbon, Torrão, Coruche and, finally, Arraiolos, involving local participants and the artist’s team in an active exchange of textile knowledge and in the affirmation of the Arraiolos stitch as a contemporary artistic language. Across periods ranging from three days to a week in each location, the artist worked directly with more than 50 participants — over 100 hands — sharing ancestral techniques and collectively producing textile elements connected to the identities, stories and contributions of each community. The process extended into public space during the festival, occupying streets and Praça do Município in Arraiolos and making the collective act of embroidery visible as an aesthetic, political and community gesture. The residencies sought to move the Arraiolos tradition from carpet into tapestry and contemporary artwork, giving visibility to hands that have historically remained anonymous. The process was documented by videographer Nelson Chantre, resulting in a film that records both the production of the work and the exchange of knowledge and experience between participants. Through this cycle, CASA DE PARTIDA develops a collective reflection on identity, territory and cultural heritage, approaching the Arraiolos stitch as a living practice connected to both memory and future.