The Azores Bandstand Research and Inventory Project, promoted by GetArt – Regional Association for Cultural Promotion and Management, has identified 45 structures in the region and has now moved on to a second phase, in which it will collect technical and historical data on each one.

“To date, more than 45 bandstands have been identified in the Azores, with the island of São Miguel having the largest number. The islands of Corvo and Santa Maria currently have no bandstands, with the last one in Santa Maria having been demolished in 2022,” the association said in a press release.

At the start of the second phase of the project, planned for 2021 and beginning in 2023, GetArt arrived on the island of Flores, where it collected information on the four bandstands on the island, all located in the municipality of Lajes.

“With the completion of the first phase, the second and more complex stage began, involving fieldwork: on-site registration, collection of technical and historical data, and photographic and audiovisual documentation of each bandstand,” the association explained.

Since 2023, GetArt has been working with various regional and national entities “with the aim of giving visibility and recognition to this heritage.”

That year, an application to the Regional Directorate for Culture was approved under the Legal Regime for the Support of Cultural Activities (RJAAC), which allowed the research to move forward.

“This is a unique project, given the lack of bibliography on the subject, the scarcity of academic research, and the almost total absence of historical records on this cultural heritage,” the association emphasized.

A multidisciplinary team, formed in 2023, has recently completed the first phase of the project: mapping all the bandstands in the archipelago.

The project has the support of the Center for Humanities of the University of the Azores (CHAM), under a collaboration agreement established with GetArt.

The work was initiated by Professor Duarte Chaves, with technical support from Ricardo Amaral, an audiovisual technician at the University of the Azores.

The GetArt team consists of Bárbara Costa, a civil engineer specializing in heritage, and Daniela Silveira, cultural manager and project coordinator.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director.

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for its support.

Click on the link below…

https://event.auctria.com/5e89c412-a9f1-41b4-a429-1fad5b362180/