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Tapajós

02 Feb '26 to 03 Feb '26

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne / Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha (BR) / Rio Tapajós

The development of an analogue photograph is a form of alchemy, where images magically appear and vanish. In the early days of photography, mercury was used in this process—the same chemical element that has polluted the Tapajós River. Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, an emerging voice in the international theatre scene, conducts a profound artistic investigation into the contaminated waters of her homeland Brazil and the women who live along the banks of the Tapajós.

Festival Brandhaarden

Location ITA

Duration 90 minutes

Genre Theatre

Language Portuguese and Munduruku

Subtitles English and Dutch

The Bookshop Aftertalk

Tapajós

Tapajós emerged from encounters with mothers who were poisoned by mercury in the Tapajós River, a result of illegal mining activities. The project evolved into an alliance of mothers: the Munduruku mothers, the fish mother, forest mother, river mother, and ultimately, the mothers in the audience. The performance is shaped by a ritualistic, multidisciplinary structure.

Using trays of water and photographic chemicals—and with the audience’s assistance—da Cunha creates a performance about river water, pollution, and photography as testimony. The words and bodies of women and river merge in a vivid exploration, a ritual with the audience as chorus, where the visible and invisible worlds are woven together.

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On stage, Carneiro da Cunha develops large-scale images that tell the story of the river, its contamination, and the women fighting for healing. Tapajós is a performative ritual for the alliance of all human and non-human mothers, offering an immersive exploration of testimony and resistance.

Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha

Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha is a Brazilian artist dedicated to performance, directing, research, and artistic environmental activism. She is part of Aruac Filmes and the founder of the Margins Project – On Rivers, Buiúnas and Fireflies, a multilingual artistic initiative based on testimonies from Brazilian rivers affected by environmental disasters.

The project includes theatre productions such as Guerrilla or For Land There Are No Missing Persons and Altamira 2042, as well as short and feature-length documentaries, publications, debates, workshops, and the Buiúnas network, which connects women, rivers, and art.

To support artistic residency, land was recently acquired along the banks of the Xingu River. In theatre, Gabriela has collaborated with directors including Ariane Mnouchkine, Georgette Fadel, Felipe Vidal, Ivan Sugahara, Celina Sodré, Isaac Bernart, and Pedro Brício. She has also worked in film as a producer, screenwriter, assistant director, and actress.

3 February at 21:15 - The Bookshop

Aftertalk

After Tapajós, the creators invite you to an aftertalk that offers space for reflection, exchange, and connection. Together, we pause to consider the stories of the mothers, the river, and the pollution that affects them. How did you experience the performance?

In this conversation, we share thoughts on the role of art as a form of resistance, on the power of rituals, and on how bodies, images, and voices come together to reveal what often remains hidden.

Please note: this conversation will be held in English.

Brandhaarden

Brandhaarden is an international theatre festival that brings productions by remarkable theatre makers from abroad to Amsterdam. The festival offers a unique focus on one artist, company, writer, region, or theme. This year, we shine the spotlight on Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, a house at the intersection of individual experience and collective concerns. It creates a space where today’s global themes resonate, are shared, and questioned. In a world that is increasingly polarized, Théâtre Vidy manages to touch a nerve and sharpen the audience’s critical gaze.

In previous editions, we highlighted directors such as Katie Mitchell, Milo Rau, and the collective Rimini Protokoll; writer Édouard Louis; the Southern European region (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece); and city theatres like Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin, and Peter Brook’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.

Credits

Concept and direction Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha and the Tapajós River

Performers Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, Mafalda Pequenino

Adaptation Sofia Tomic, João Freddi, Vicente Otávio, Mafalda Pequenino, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha

Assistant director Sofia Tomic

Photographers Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, João Freddi, Vicente Otávio

Photography technicians João Freddi, Vicente Otávio

Text editing Manoela Cezar, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, João Marcelo Iglesias, Sofia Tomic

Image editing Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, João Freddi, Marina Schiesari, Sofia Tomic, Vicente Otávio

Dramaturgy Alessandra Korap, Maria Leusa Munduruku, Ediene Munduruku, Cacica Isaura Munduruku, Ana Carolina Alfinito, Paulo Basta, Julia Ferreira Corrêa, Rosana Farias Mascarenhas, Dalva de Jesus Vieira, Osmar Vieira de Oliveira, Celiney Eulália de Oliveira Lobato, Rodrigo Oliveira, Mauricio Torres, Eric Jennings