Práticas editoriais independentes contemporâneas: ofícios e memória gráfica do Cariri

Abstract

This research aims to compose a set of elements that allow access to the crafts and graphic memory from Cariri, in Ceará, specifically the cities of Crato and Juazeiro do Norte, through cordel literature and engraving, in order to reach contemporary female production. To this end, it follows a narrative path that combines theoretical research and artistic practice in three methodological languages. The technical language is characterized by a bibliographic approach to the manual printing techniques of the Northeast, based on the work of Gráfico Amador. The documentation includes books, works, catalogs, magazines, and articles. The oral language brings the voices of female engravers from the MATRIZ group of feminine graphisms, the cordel writer Josenir Lacerda, and the master woodcutters of ‘Lira Nordestina’, represented by Mestre José Lourenço and Mestre Airton Laurindo, and Mestre Carlos Henrique within the Centro Cultural do Cariri, through interviews, conversations, and videos. Finally, the graphic language, stemming from the artistic practice in the studio, presents processes and materials resulting from collective work, encompassing the production of women in multiple languages from the Cariri region. Through face-to-face meetings and the curatorial process, visual narratives were connected to the territory through the lens of the ‘memória-umbigo’ (memory-navel). This research highlights a gap in the scientific literature regarding female graphic production in Cariri; this study is of interest to design professionals, cultural producers, and scholars of popular culture in a broad sense.