WHAT CAN RURAL PLACES TELL EACH OTHER?
Artistic research
by Luís Costa

November 2025 – February 2026
Abruzzo region (Italy)

Between November 2025 and February 2026, Luís Costa, coordinator of Binaural Nodar and PhD researcher in artistic creation, has been conducting several periods of artistic research in mountainous landscapes and communities in the Italian region of Abruzzo, in a co-production between Binaural Nodar, Bambun APS, Centro Studi Don Nicola Jobbi, and the University of Teramo. This research is also part of the Tramontana Network and is co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.

In the context of the research, Luís Costa explores the empirical, sensory, and imaginary relationships between rural locations in the Portuguese region of Viseu Dão Lafões and the Italian region of Abruzzo, through a series of four new audiovisual essays that problematize the concept of the “third place.”

At the end of January, the four blocks of field research were completed, the first with the Pavone family, cattle breeders from Penna Sant’Andrea (Teramo, Italy), the second with Assunta Perilli, a weaver from Campotosto (L’Aquila, Italy) who has recovered local knowledge related to weaving (materials, techniques, colors, and patterns) to innovate in terms of the types of pieces produced, the third with family farmer Valentino Salini (Poggio Delle Rose, Italy), and the fourth with Augusto Fabri, a member of the traveling singing group Li Sandandonijre, dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot.

At the end of February, two public presentations will be held in the region, one in a communitarian context and the other in an academic context.

With this research, also carried out in partnership with two research centers: ID+ (University of Aveiro) and LiDA (School of Art and Design, Caldas da Rainha), the nine audiovisual essays included in the doctoral thesis will be completed, reflecting various aspects of the relationship established between rural locations, such as popular religiosity, mountain flora, textile crafts, the relationship between humans and animals, irrigation systems, among others.

Luís Costa would like to thank his supervisory team for their support during his research, composed of Graça Magalhães, Susana Duarte, and Sérgio Eliseu.

Binaural Nodar is a professional cultural organization supported by the Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth, and Sports | Directorate-General for the Arts.