The exhibition “Immersive Amazon: indigenous narratives”, opened this Monday (27) at the Extended Reality Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), shows the history and experiences of the Mura indigenous people, originally from the Amazon. The project is free and was designed by Humberto Salgueiro, a former student at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), with the creation of alumni from the educational institution, the musicians and brothers Darlison and Lucas Meireles, descendants of the Mura people who live in the north of Paraná.
The exhibition can be visited until November 11th.
“We brought together this cultural exchange to bring the history of the Mura people from the north of the state, here to Curitiba,” Salgueiro told Brazil Agency. “We have sessions all day long, from 9am to 9pm.”
Anyone who wants to participate in this experience must access the website event official and schedule the session date and time. Age classification is free.
Immersive Amazon Exhibition – Photo Humberto Salgueiro/Disclosure
The production is carried out by the production company Click Arte Cultura e Educativos and the collective Puxirum, which means collective work, in the Mura language.
“The name Puxirum that we bring to the project is about a collective effort, a collective. We bring this history, passed down from generations to generations, because it is a heritage of the Mura people.” The project was made possible through the Aldir Blanc Culture Incentive Law. ‘It’s a project financed by the state of Paraná.”
Immersive technology
The exhibition brings together immersive technology along with the knowledge of the Meireles brothers, 360º projection, special scenography and lighting “and also smells of the forest”, highlighted Humberto Salgueiro.
“So, we brought this sensory experience in several ways.” Lighting interacts with sound. “We set up the forest, we have the scenography of the plants. The lighting starts during the day.”
As a result, sounds come from the ceiling, the walls; you can hear birdsong and the sounds of daytime animals. Suddenly, with dusk and night, the sounds change. Crickets, nocturnal animals, appear.
“We brought this experience for people to see and feel an environment that is very different from what they are used to.” The exhibition also addresses the arrival of Europeans in the Amazon, what happened to the Mura, and the dispersion of these people.
The creators intend to take the exhibition about the Mura people to other regions of Paraná, firstly, and also to other places in Brazil. “I think this project can expand and bring more cultures into it.” Salgueiro believes that the help of technology can greatly facilitate knowledge about the original people of the Amazon. “Sometimes, it becomes much more attractive for people to want to participate in an immersive attraction and get to know these original people, riverside people, this culture that our Brazil has. It is important to value Brazilian culture.”
Immersive Amazon Exhibition shows the history of the Mura people, from the Amazon. Photo Humberto Salgueiro/Disclosure
The Mura people still live in the Amazon, especially in the town of Autazes, in the state of Amazonas, close to the Madeira River. The exhibition also aims to be an instrument of environmental education and appreciation of indigenous culture. At the opening of the exhibition, students from public schools were excited by the smell of the environments, the plants, and were able to experience some elements of nature in person, such as the Pau-Brasil tree, a symbol of the country.
