Casa da Empreita in Rua Vice Almirante Cândido dos Reis de Loulé.
Walk through the alleys of historic center of loule It means much more than just walking. And it is that in this small town in the Algarvian hinterland, things happen. They have always happened.
To begin with, because Loulé was, for many decades, commercial center of southern Portugal. People came here from all corners of the Algarve and Alentejo to buy whatever they needed in their homes, whether it be clothes, kitchen utensils, animals, fruits or bridal trousseau. The reason? Loulé was a land of artisans who, distributed by guilds throughout its old town, had experts in the most diverse and traditional trades: from shoemakers to potters, from esparto workers to, of course, caldeireiros. Jobs that were disappearing with the arrival of tourism and the construction boom.
Loule Market
The point is that to try to recover those forgotten traditions, beautiful handicrafts that constituted the identity and soul of an entire region, Loulé Criativo was born in 2014. And what is this project exactly? Well, a beautiful initiative of the local council to promote the development and revaluation of the area through the promotion of local culture and heritage.
And they do it in an original and attractive way: with activities and workshops, promoting creative tourism, offering stays for young people who want to develop their personal project —as long as they are related to native crafts—, creating a collaborative design lab and promoting an entire network of shops-workshops that they have managed to recover that Loulé that one day was; the one that was missed so much.
Esparto craftswoman in Loulé, Portugal.
A PALACE AS HEADQUARTERS
Loulé Criativo's home is located in the historic Palacio Gama de Lobo, a building from the second half of the 18th century which was a milestone in terms of local civil architecture, by the way, and which today looks completely renovated. In it, what were once large noble rooms, today house exhibition halls, several workshops equipped with all kinds of tools, offices, library, and even rooms in which to accommodate resident artists arrived from anywhere in the world. Also a store: a complete sample of everything that the artisans involved in the project are capable of doing.
A visit to the palace allows you to discover all the details about one of the most attractive branches of Loulé Criativo: Loulé Design Lab. This original commitment actively supports ideas and projects in the area of design applied to local culture, and promotes the formation of a creative community in which **synergies arise between the artisans of the past, authentic masters, and those of the present, apprentices with a voracious appetite to invent. **
Exhibition at the Palacio Gama de Lobo, home of Loulé Criativo.
In one of the workshops we ran into André Silva, one of the young Algarvian residents of the community, that he is doing some lighting tests. While he is doing his work, he talks to us enthusiastically about his project, Blowplastic, with which he creates unique figures and sculptures from blown bio-based plastic -low cost, recyclable, light and resistant-, which is carried out in the same way that glass is blown, an art he learned during his studies in Italy.
André says that, in exchange for making use of a space and the tools of the Loulé Design Lab, he has to do certain volunteer hours: it is the way to return the favor to those who have opted for it; those who have bet on his talent. How to invest them? With workshops in which to teach others interested in his art, collaborating with his knowledge in other projects or even helping to keep the workshops organized and clean.
Andre Silva lamp.
Leni Farenzena is another of the current residents of Loulé Design Lab, an architect who, after passing through Florence and Lisbon, found her new home in the Algarve. We talk to her about her work while she doesn't hesitate to show us some of the pieces she has designed: plant stands, lamps, baskets, chairs... All decoration elements made with traditional materials from the Algarve, yes indeed. She also confesses to us that for some of her ideas she has been inspired by the cubist houses of the fishermen of Olhão —in fact, he is participating in the rehabilitation project of some of them—: his cubist tables are pure fantasy and one more example of his fascinating project, ForNature Design.
But Loulé Design Lab is made up of a huge family of artisans who are easy to find in full swing while visiting the headquarters. happens with Sara Monteiro, who has the gift of recreating the stunning landscapes of the Algarve —those inspired by the Ria Formosa are the most— in its tapestries and rugs. He works with her Susan, a Scotswoman living in the south who makes scarves and textiles with wool brought from farms in the region that she herself cleans and prepares on her spinning wheel.
But beware, because beyond the Gama de Lobo Palace, there is more: throughout the streets of Loulé, local crafts continue to surprise at every turn, and there is nothing like walking through them to discover it.
Contemporary crafts from Loulé Criativo.
IMMERSION TOURISM TO TRAVEL TO THE PAST
The sound of hammer insistently hitting a copper plate can already be sensed from afar. The map of the Loulé Criativo workshop network tells us that there are still a couple of corners to turn to get there. As we go towards Rua da Barbacã, in the heart of Loulé, the hammering feels stronger and stronger.
we are about to visit the only caldeireiro workshop that currently exists in the town. It was not always like this: this same street, decades ago, was plagued with them. The caldeireiros are the copper artisans, those who expertly handle this metal to create with their own hands pans, pots, kitchen utensils and, of course, the **absolute protagonists of southern Portugal: the cataplanas. **
we met there with Analide Carmo who, surrounded by walls full of all kinds of tools, is immersed in the task. At approximately 70 years of age, this caldeireiro master He continues to develop in front of copper as he already did when he learned the trade when he was just 13. Although the rest of his life was spent in other pursuits, when Loulé Criativo set out to rescue past traditions, he went in search of him: There was only one person who mastered the trade in the whole town, and that was him, who did not hesitate a second to collaborate to pass on his knowledge of the subject to new learners.
For example, to David Ganhão, who after spending years in Tarifa dedicating his life to surfing, he was able to see in working with copper a way of reinventing himself. He received classes from Analide and today he shares this old premises with him, which has recovered its use after being closed for decades. In it, **in addition to cataplanas and pots, he designs jewelery made of copper. **
Office of the Boiler Makers of Loulé Criativo.
They did not have it so difficult in Loulé Criativo to find esparto artisans: Fortunately, they were still in town. older ladies who continued to make true works of art with palm leaves. Today, many of them meet at Casa da Empreita (Rua Vice-Alimirante Candido Reis), a charming little shop where, Between talks and good times, they create and sell all kinds of objects. The offer is wide, and compared to traditional pieces there are also lamps and decorative design elements absolutely innovative. We already warned –and whoever warns, he is not a traitor–: it will be difficult not to fall into temptation to take something home.
Not far away, on Rua Martim Moniz, more handicrafts: there is the Oficina do Barro, a kind of pottery incubator where they experiment with Portuguese ceramics and clay to shape the most unique proposals. we chat with Bernadette, a young artisan who works daily making original pieces. She tells us that one of her most acclaimed workshops, in which many of the tourists who visit Loulé participate, is the one she teaches on 17th century tile painting with cobalt blue pigment: yes, those so typical of Portugal.
Loulé Criativo pottery workshop.
Although if we talk about courses, the offer becomes infinite. Of course, those who are always interested are those of Algarvian gastronomy taught by Ana Figueiras. Workshops that teach how to make a cataplana –and which includes beforehand a visit to Analide, and another to the beautiful Loulé market to buy the ingredients–, or the one that proposes to make a Trilogy of figs and almonds, traditional sweets from the south based on these two typical delicacies of the area. Is there a better plan than this? To complete the route through the historic center of Loulé, two more stops: the Office of Relojoeiro and that of Cordofones , the shop-workshop of the only luthier in Loulé.
An end to this different and wonderful proposal to enjoy a corner of southern Portugal full of soul, tradition and heritage, which has a very clear objective: to never forget its origins. And show them, proud, to the world.
Address: Palácio Gama Lobo: R. de Nª Srª de Fátima. Loule, Algarve, Portugal View map
Schedule: Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.