Interactive multimedia platform
Minas Gerais, 2015
Minas Gerais, 2015
THE SOUND OF BELLS is a pioneering interactive multimedia platform that explores the cultural heritage of bell ringing in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project focuses on the Toque dos Sinos (Bell Tolling) and the Ofício de Sineiro (Bell-Ringer’s Craft), recognized as intangible cultural heritage. More than 40 unique bell tolls are still practiced in towns like São João del-Rei, Ouro Preto, Mariana, Catas Altas, Congonhas, Diamantina, Sabará, Serro, and Tiradentes. These sounds announce liturgical rituals, deaths, masses, births, fires, and sacred hours.
Blending memory, documentary, and technology, the project uses sound mapping, civil engagement, and storytelling to highlight and preserve this sonic and cultural tradition. The bilingual platform features an interactive sound map (including bell tolls and interviews with bell-ringers), research archives, and an interactive Vídeo-Cartas section where users can record and share audiovisual messages.
The project also includes a feature-length documentary, mobile app, and public installation, creating a multifaceted experience that makes this unique heritage accessible and alive for a wide audience.
Commissioned by: Lei Rouanet, Eletrobrás Cultural, Furnas
Support: Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN)
Directed by: Marcia Mansur and Marina Thomé
Support: Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN)
Directed by: Marcia Mansur and Marina Thomé
Award: Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade Award
Presented at: Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León (Spain), Casa da América Latina (Portugal), Museu Lasar Segall (Brazil), and universities including ISCTE (Portugal), UERJ and USP (Brazil)
More about the project:
G1 – Project features bell-ringer testimonies in MG
Carta Capital – The Language of Bells
G1 – Project features bell-ringer testimonies in MG
Carta Capital – The Language of Bells
