Precarious Carnaval at the Bridgewater Canal, Salford

Last summer, two experimental artists, Lowri Evans and Bolelli Rebouças, hailing from the UK and Brazil respectively, spent a month living on the Bridgewater Canal.  During this time they explored the Bridgewater Canal and spent some time talking to the people who use it.

Fishing for secrets and uncovering stories, they set up beaches on the canal bank and invited local people to join them in a celebration of community. During this performative research process, the idea of Precarious Carnaval was born – a time for the ‘first true canal of the Industrial Revolution’ to sparkle and shimmer from Boothstown to the Barton Aqueduct.

Bringing the Brazilian essence of carnival to the banks of the Bridgewater Canal in Salford.

Fuelled by the local community and Salford residents, this period of research and development is set to culminate in a special 3-day long performance event this July. Precarious Carnaval will bring the Brazilian essence of carnival to the banks of the Bridgewater Canal in Salford – a weekend which will pull hundreds of local people together for a joyous jubilee.

This collaboration between Lowri Evans, Bolelli Rebouças and Rodolfo Amorim aims to bring a cascade of poetic fragments to the canalside in an attempt to stitch together a portrait of a place and its community.

Lowri Evans is an artist who lives between Manchester and São Paulo in Brazil. Most recently she produced and coordinated Contact’s When it Breaks it Burns with Brazilian high school activists, coletivA ocupação. With a commitment to social engagement, and often producing work which is autobiographical, she is also part of the critically acclaimed performance group, Eggs Collective.

Bolelli Rebouças, an art director, researcher and performer based in São Paulo, has presented his work internationally. A current PhD scholar at the University of São Paulo’s Laboratory of Performative Practices, his current research interests are the relationships between art and ritual; community and nature.

Taking the dramaturgical lead on Precarious Carnaval, Rodolfo Amorim is a graduate of the School of Dramatic Art at the University of Sao Paulo. His area of expertise is collaborative dramaturgy, street theatre and the occupation of spaces.

Together the three of them won a Manchester Theatre Award in 2017 for The Shrine of Everyday Things with Contact Theatre’s Young Company, which took place in derelict houses in Ardwick. Precarious Carnaval will be their third production together in the UK, and their biggest (and longest) performance to date.

The ‘first true canal of the Industrial Revolution’ will sparkle and shimmer from Boothstown to the Barton Aqueduct.

Exploring the past, present and future of the Bridgewater Canal, the 3-day event will be divided into three performative acts. Head down to Boothstown Marina for Act 1 (Friday) as a wonderful flotilla of boats set sail – or watch from the towpath at Worsley, Monton and Patricroft as they pass by; join the adventure on foot for Act 2 (Saturday), and enjoy a few surprises along the canal path. Sunday’s Act 3, from Patricroft to Monton, promises riots, revolution and a joyous grand finale.

In the lead up to the big weekend, there are plenty of ways for the movers and shakers of Salford to get involved in the activities. Whatever your age, group or individual, whether you have done anything like this before or not, the Precarious Carnaval would love to hear from you. Get involved and be a part of something precariously perfect.