AN ASININE TALE
An artistic investigation by Luís Costa
May and June 2025
Castro Daire (Viseu Dão Lafões, Portugal) and Villalcampo (Zamora, Spain)
In ‘An Asinine Tale’, the author imagined an encounter between two donkeys. One came from the mountains of Viseu Dão Lafões, in Portugal, and the other from the plains of Zamora, in Spain. Although separated by borders, both shared a silent, ancestral wisdom, inhabiting landscapes marked by the discreet yet enduring presence of donkeys — animals long marginalised, yet essential to rural life.
The work explored how the animals perceived the territory, not as property, but as an extension of their bodies and their memory in motion. “An Asinine Tale” paid a poetic tribute to radical otherness and communication between species, inviting the viewer to see the world through the slow, attentive gaze of those who listen and remember as they move.
Produced by Binaural Nodar, the project formed part of the author’s doctoral research at ID+ (University of Aveiro) and LiDA (ESAD, Caldas da Rainha), with the support of AEPGA and Rede Tramontana, and co-funded by the Creative Europe programme.
Binaural Nodar is a cultural organisation supported by the Portuguese Republic – Culture | Directorate-General for the Arts.
