A headline – in a loose and poetic way – informs the future, summarises (foreshadows) in more or less words what will be dissected

in a news item, text or article. Similarly, Ana Teresa Pereira, José António Gonçalves, Maria Aurora Carvalho Homem and Maria

da Trindade de Mendonça were (and still are) some of the "headings" that synthesize a golden age (which extends over time, not static) of Madeiran literature; the headlines that continue to propel and energise this island's (literary) culture, both within and beyond its borders; strong foundations that allowed the island to assert itself as a very valuable space for intellectual growth and development.

 

In "CABEÇALHOS", four hollow "heads" aim to interpret the universes of these authors, honoured by the 50th Funchal's Book Fair,

with shapes, themes and colours stemming primarily from data gathered from texts, interviews, articles, opinions and theses related to the life and work of each of them. Typically, that who writes often abandons and/or embellishes their reality in order to engage with a more or less fictional story. The act of writing is always the author's, about the author, and stems from a perspective (or several) that the author chooses to adopt, but we are made unaware of such fact through all the adornments and intertexts present in a book or publication.

 

Thus, this project sought to explore Ana Teresa Pereira, José António Gonçalves, Maria Aurora Carvalho Homem and Maria da Trindade de Mendonça – their spirits and actions – as main characters, subjects, and stories, far beyond what they wrote and invented. Complementing this intervention, the public was also invited to position themselves under each "head" to listen to audio elements written by and relating to each author.