São Miguel
48° 27' 50''N, 5° 5' 32'' 0 - Portugal
The residency on the island of São Miguel marks the first phase of the “Twin Islands” project by Sara Bichão and Violaine Lochu and is part of the 2022 France-Portugal Season. São Miguel is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago, located in the North Atlantic. During her residency, Violaine Lochu explored the island, supported by Finis Terrae and locally by the team at vaga - espaço de arte e conhecimento (Portugal), a space dedicated to artistic and intellectual reflection, mindful of the island’s dynamics and its inhabitants.
The project began with two simultaneous one-month creative residencies in February-March 2022, during which the two artists swapped their places of origin: Violaine Lochu stayed on São Miguel in the Azores, west of Portugal, while Sara Bichão resided on Ouessant, at the far western edge of France. Exhibitions in Brest and Lisbon punctuated the project in the summer of 2022. The residency was conceived as a time for exchange and experimentation between these two women artists.
