FOGO LENTO
transdisciplinary artistic research
Imagem: Pedro Sardinha
Target audience: children from 6-12 years old | Duration: 50 minutes | Capacity: up to 150 people
• A S T R A 8 •
s y n o p s i s
Labai labai labai de aqui, labai distancieska, labai dopo nebulosis de gasieska cosmique,labai dopo ofiúros negros deprofundis, labai dopo asteriscos e metoriskos, tim pim tim, labai dopo... hai una planeta. Est una planeta bé estrangieska: una cospuscula intorno su stelare que voltagira e danzandula e saltapula. Est impresionante, est eletrivivante, est davero labai emulcionante.
Do! Una planeta nomeamata “Astra 8”.
A performance for children regarding the encounter with the "other" as a catalyst for evolution. A journey where imagination and curiosity pave the way for the creation of nascent worlds.
Research:
In 1981, the American biologist Lynn Margulis proposed the endosymbiotic theory, a poetic and revolutionary perspective on the origins of life. According to Margulis, evolution is not driven solely by competition, but primarily through cooperation—the capacity of organisms to interconnect, share, and collectively forge new modes of existence.
Drawing from this premise, the scientist introduced the concept of the holobiont: an organism that hosts a multitude of others, a plural entity where the whole transcends the sum of its parts. Margulis was not referring to mythical creatures, but to every living being on Earth, including humanity.
We are bodies inhabited by other bodies, existing in a perpetual symbiotic relationship with our surroundings. The environment is not external to us—we are inherently part of it, entwined in a web of invisible connections. Acknowledging this interdependence serves as an invitation to cultivate our plurality, and to envision and construct new ways of relating to the world.
Artistic Credits: Artistic coordination, direction, and performance: Costanza Givone; Performance and co-creation: Clelia Colonna; Text and dramaturgical support: Alex Cassal; Objects and costumes: Svenja Tiger; Lighting design and machinery: Rui Azevedo; Musical creation and performance: Henrique Fernandes and Samuel Coelho; Manipulation and production: Margarida Fragueiro; Assistant director: Raul Maia; Video and photography: Zhang Qinzhe and Pedro Sardinha;
Support: Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth and Sport / Directorate-General for the Arts; Criatório - Porto City Council, GDA Foundation.
Co-producers: FIMP - Porto International Puppet Festival, Municipality of Loulé, Pombal City Council.
Artistic Residencies: Lugar/Palmilha Dentada; Lu.Ca; Fogo Lento/CAMPO; Sekoia; Casa Varela; CRL-Central Elétrica, Porto Municipal Theater.
Partnerships: Parents' Association of the Campo 24 de Agosto School; Hall of Biodiversity of Porto, Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences; Colégio Nossa Senhora de Lourdes; Bom Sucesso Primary School.
Acknowledgments: Cristiana Vieira, José Manuel Grosso Silva, Maria João Fonseca, Paulo Pereira, IA research group “Detection and characterization of other Earths”, Marta Cortesão, Afonso Mota, Isabel Sousa, Barbara Soares, Jennifer Peralta, and Nuno Santos.
Corpo-planeta Workshop
“Not only are our intestines and eyelashes inhabited by bacteria and animal symbionts; if you look around the park, symbionts are omnipresent. Clovers and weeds have nodules on their roots. These are nitrogen-fixing bacteria, essential for healthy growth in nitrogen-poor soil. And look at the trees: up to three hundred different fungal symbionts—the mycorrhizae we recognise as mushrooms—intertwine with their roots.
We are symbionts on a symbiotic planet, and if we pay attention, we can find symbiosis everywhere.” Lynn Margulis, The Symbiotic Planet.
Drawing upon several scenic and dramaturgical elements of the performance, we have devised an interactive staging tailored for unconventional spaces, inviting children to reflect on the possibilities that emerge from encounter and cooperation.
The encounter as a readiness to embrace the 'other'.
The encounter as observation, respect, and listening.
The encounter as a space for imagination.
The fiction of a journey to a distant planet serves as a mirror through which to imagine extraordinary encounters. It encourages reflection on how scientific concepts such as symbiosis, mutualism, and parasitism can be applied at varying levels of abstraction—from the relationships between living organisms to the ways in which we connect with one another and the environment we inhabit.
In this way, scientific imagery is transmuted into a sensory language, allowing children to explore—through play and observation—the complex webs of cooperation and interdependence that sustain life.
Duration: 35 minutes | Target audince: children 6 - 12 years old | Capacity: máx. 30 people (variable) | Exhibition: Site Specific
ASTRA 8 - LAB
Performative Exhibition for Children
"Good afternoon, fellow scientists!
We are here to present to you the extraordinary findings of our extensive research into the mysterious planet ASTRA 8.
Are you familiar with it? No? Really? No? Well, planet ASTRA 8 is quite unlike any other planet…."
In this performative exhibition, two eccentric scientists guide the audience through a most peculiar laboratory, dedicated to investigating the life forms that inhabit a far-off planet. Amidst objects, experiments, sounds, and minor scientific revelations, visitors are invited to explore a universe that feels utterly alien, yet profoundly familiar. Drawing inspiration from the concepts of symbiosis and cooperation, ASTRA 8 – lab bridges scientific curiosity with the imagination, inviting children and adults alike to discover how embracing the ‘other’ can pave the way for new modes of living, creating, and coexisting.
Artistic Credits: Artistic Coordination, Direction, and Performance: Costanza Givone; Performance and Eco-creation: Clelia Colonna; Text and Dramaturgical Support: Alex Cassal; Objects and Costume Design: Svenja Tiger; Lighting Design and Engineering: Rui Azevedo; Musical Composition and Performance: Henrique Fernandes and Samuel Coelho; Production: Margarida Fragueiro; Video: Zhang Qinzhe.
The drawings showcased in ASTRA 8 – lab were created by the children who participated in the ASTRA 8 workshops, which took place at Lugar do Jogo (Teatro da Palmilha Dentada), Escola do Campo 24 de Agosto, Colégio Nossa Senhora de Lourdes, and Escola Básica do Bom Sucesso in Porto.
For further information, please contact us:
Email: fogolento.cultural@gmail.com | Costanza Givone
The photographs displayed on this page were taken at FIMP 2025.