Where food and community go together.
We believe everyone has a story to tell, especially about food. We want to celebrate those stories with tales and recipes passed through generations.
Uma casa para as estórias por detrás da nossa comida.
A home for the stories hidden in a plate of food.
The recipes and traditions passed through family generations inform our present. We believe food is the compass of life, keeping track of everything that happens.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
a·len·to
nome masculino
2. estado de ânimo, coragem, vigor; energia, entusiasmo, vontade.
3. aquilo que revigora; alimento, nutrição, sustento.
4. fig. Vento brando, intermitente; aragem, brisa, sopro.
5. fig. força ou vontade para realizar algo de cariz artístico:
entusiasmo, estro, inspiração.
alento
noun
1. an act of inhaling or exhaling; breathing; breath.
2. feeling of cheer, courage, vigour; energy, enthusiasm, will.
3. that which invigorates; food, nutrition, sustenance.
4. fig. mild, intermittent wind; air, breeze, blow.
5. fig. state in which one feels a special facility to create works of art:
enthusiasm, oestrus, inspiration.
At alento, we are creating a collective memory built around food and the personal tales /memórias afectivas behind it.
From the dinner tables of strangers to the inboxes of our e-mail addresses, we collect memories and personal stories found next to the plates of food.
Stories are told when people gather in a place, and what better place than the kitchen?
Alento is an ode to the unsung cooks in our lives.
“A ideia é ‘democratizar’ a cozinha: afinal, não só os chefs que têm receitas dignas de serem partilhadas”
P3
(...) is constantly amazed by how complex the story behind a warm plate of food can be. Since 2017, alento has been collecting these tales from the dinner tables of strangers. As ethnographic as it is artistic, alento seeks out the communities, relationships and traditions that shape how we eat together.
It is a declaration of love to, and through, food.
intro written by Matilda Kivelä from iittala Journal, where the three-piece reportage by Alento was published in:
Matilde Viegas é fotógrafa e cientista.
Matilde Viegas is a photographic artist and research scientist.
Mafalda Salgueiro é realizadora, artista e arquitecta.
Mafalda Salgueiro is a director, artist and architect.