Shedding light on the Light District : artistic processes in and around the Teatro de Contêiner

Abstract

This articlepresents interviews with artists from Cia Mungunzá de Teatro and their partnersabout the artistic work carried out in Bairro da Luz in the centre of the cityof São Paulo /Brazil. In 2016, Cia Mungunzá was responsible for creating the Teatro de Conteiner (Theatre of Container), a cultural space established in one of themost impoverished areas of Brazil, where the level of poverty leads many to use crack cocaine and alcohol.The Teatro de Conteiner was installed as a result of an occupation of publicland by Cia Mungunzá de Teatro unknown to andunsupported by the state. Since then, the cultural space has been home tosocial and artistic activities. The possibilities for action by artists in theregion were placed alongside my (Vinicius Torres Machado’s)own experience in order to highlight the difficulties of thework and the achievements of the interviewees. Respondents Lucas and Verônicaare co-founders of the CiaMugunzá and areco-responsible for the occupation of the area. Dona Carmen is a former socialworker who leads a project in the neighbourhood that has moved into the Theatreof Container, teaching impoverished women how to sew. Finally Dentinho is asocial worker and artist in the area. The article seeks to bring the voice ofthese artists to reflect on thepresence of artistic works in places of extreme poverty.