Number 25 - Parque das Ruínas

After a week where we went from the warmest day of the year, to the heaviest rainfall of many, many years, and finally to yet another political crisis in what has been described as "the perfect storm" in Brazil, it was good to finally reach the weekend! Watching the weather forecast closely, not having forgotten the chaos of last week, I took a while to decide if I would really venture out and up to Santa Tereza. In the end I did, and I was not disappointed.

My destination was Centro Cultural Municipal Parque das Ruínas, high up in the charming neighborhood of Santa Tereza.

The Cultural Center was built using the ruins of what used to be a "little palace" owned by Laurinda Santos Lobo, who back in the 1920's hosted parties and meetings with prominent artists and intellectuals. After her death in 1946, the mansion was abandoned and turned into a ruin. In 1997 the City of Rio de Janeiro opened the Cultural Center and park, after what was left of the house had been preserved and turned into a place for performances and exhibitions. The architectural project by Ernani Freire and Sonia Lopes preserved what was left of the mansion, and created steel stairways, balconies and structures in glass in and around it.

There were two exhibitions on display, and a play for children being enacted on one of the verandas.
Lots of tourists were climbing up and down the stairs and admiring the view, which was fantastic.

It was difficult to say which angle was the best! I had fun climbing and finding new ones, and admiring the idea of the architects that had been able to create something new out of something that was at first sight just a crumbling ruin.

The two figures are sculptures, called "The Guardians".

It was a great discovery, and I felt highly rewarded for having ventured out on a Sunday morning.