Tetrapoda: Origin and Evolution

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

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Tomorrow at 6 pm, the opening of a series of exhibitions entitled ‘Tetrapoda: Origin and Evolution’ that integrate Ricardo Barbeito’s artistic project will take place at the MUDAS.Museu Gallery and the Funchal Natural History Museum. The second phase of the project opens to the public on the 28th of July at the Funchal Natural History Museum.

The almost simultaneous presentation of these two shows is the result of a partnership established between MUDAS.Museu and the Funchal Natural History Museum, and is part of the programme for the celebrations of the thirtieth anniversary of the Foundation of the Museum of Contemporary Art, which has been running since January 2022 and has been extended until December 2023.

The two exhibitions, curated by Marcia de Sousa include a special collaboration, in the form of a performance, by Carlos Valente, are the result of an artistic residency project that has taken place over the last two months at MUDAS.Museu. In ‘Tetrapoda: Origin and Evolution’, Ricardo Barbeito proposes, through a visual essay in a site-specific context, an exercise in critical, speculative reflection that has, as its starting point, the 2010 floods.

Ricardo Barbeito was born in Funchal in 1979, and currently lives and works in Lisbon. He holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Madeira, and a master’s degree in Art and Heritage: in the contemporary and current, in the context of which he presented the ephemeral public art project “A Bilhardice: aesthetic-artistic intervention project for the city of Funchal,” where art appears as a possibility of change in the public space and the public as a factor of change in the space of art. He has presented his artwork regularly, collectively or individually, since 2004.

‘Tetrapoda: Origin and Evolution’ is an organisation of the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture/ Regional Directorate of Culture through the Museum of Contemporary Art of Madeira and is the result of the joint effort of several institutions and companies (Calheta City Council, Funchal City Council through from the Funchal Natural History Museum and the AFA Group).

The exhibition will be open to the public until the 29th of October 2022.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com