CAMILLA PIZARRO
Suassuna
Scenography exhibition . Concept . 2024
Creative Director/Experiential Designer
An immersive cultural exhibition honoring the life, literature, and legacy of Ariano Suassuna — through scenography, sensory experience, and the living traditions of the Brazilian Northeast.
" Art, for me, is not a market product. Call me a romantic. Art for me is a mission, a vocation, and a celebration. "
Ariano Suassuna
— 01 - THE VISION
A World Built From
Words & Clay
This project creates a complete scenographic universe inspired by Ariano Suassuna's world — where the dry Northeastern landscape, popular religiosity, and the Armorial Movement converge into a single immersive journey.
01
Immersive Narrative
Visitors move through interconnected themed environments — from the intimacy of a Northeastern home to the grandeur of a sacred church space — each space revealing a new facet of Suassuna's world.
04
Participatory Design
Visitors contribute to the space itself — writing on post-it murals, interacting with objects. The exhibition is alive, changing with each visitor who passes through.
02
Sensory Engagement
Beyond the visual, the exhibition engages smell: jute bags with seeds and native scents transport visitors to the Northeast. Touch, sound, and scent become part of the scenographic language.
05
Armorial Aesthetic
The Armorial Movement aimed to create high art rooted in popular Brazilian culture. Rough brickwork meets gilded frames, raw wood beside embroidered fabrics — the scenography directly embodies this.
03
Popular Culture
Cordel literature, clay figures, shadow puppets, and xilogravure prints are not decorations — they are the structural DNA of the spatial design, honoring traditions Suassuna spent his life championing.
06
Live Performance
The venue hosts a main performance stage on the ground floor and a puppet theater on the mezzanine. Suassuna's world comes alive through professional performances and student workshops.
— 02 - EXHIBITION SPACES
Eight Environments,
One Universe
The ground floor houses the main exhibition corridor. The mezzanine holds workshops, the food court, and the puppet theater. Each environment is a world unto itself.
ZONE A · GROUND FLOOR
The House
Visitors experience the atmosphere of a typical Northeastern home — touching objects, sitting in chairs, and discovering information about Suassuna's childhood and his first steps in literature. Warm amber lighting evokes oil lamps and the smell of earth.
ZONE A · GROUND FLOOR
Scents of the Northeast
Jute sacks filled with native seeds, dried herbs, and earth-scented materials activate memory through smell. Combined with visual panels and warm lighting, this space transports visitors to the sertão without a single word.
ZONE B · GROUND FLOOR
Works & Cordel Library
Each of Suassuna's works is displayed on a brick totem with its cover art on the front and a summary, date, and context on the back. A Cordel literature section invites visitors to sit and read — with a community post-it wall where anyone can write their thoughts.
ZONE B · GROUND FLOOR
The Church
A cyclorama with painted floors, walls, and ceiling creates the illusion of a sacred space. Visitors explore the mysticism so central to Suassuna's work — the battle between good and evil, heaven and hell, rendered in xilogravure patterns on every surface.
ZONE C · GROUND FLOOR
Costume Gallery – Cordel
Figurinos (costume designs) are displayed in open wooden crates backed with simple materials — newspaper, fabric, jute — creating a dynamic and playful environment where visitors "give a face" to Suassuna's characters through clothing and color.
ZONE C · GROUND FLOOR
Awards & Nominations
Clay figures (bonecos de barro) inscribed with the names of Suassuna's prizes stand atop wooden pallets and inside open crates. Silhouetted visitors contemplate a wall of stacked frames — the collected recognition of a lifetime's work in a single dramatic space.
ZONE D · GROUND FLOOR
Legacy – The Path
A sandy pathway through bamboo and scenographic trees, with Suassuna's quotes printed on hanging leaves and photographs revealing his personality suspended between the trunks. Visitors walk through his thinking as they walk through the space.
ZONE E · GROUND FLOOR
Performance
A sandy pathway through bamboo and scenographic trees, with Suassuna's quotes printed on hanging leaves and photographs revealing his personality suspended between the trunks. Visitors walk through his thinking as they walk through the space.
ZONE F · MEZZANINE
Puppet Theater + Workshops
On the mezzanine, separated from the workshops by small shelving units, a dedicated space for mamulengo (shadow puppet) performances celebrates one of the most beloved traditions of Northeastern culture — and a direct inspiration in Suassuna's theatrical work.
— 03 - SPACIAL ORGANIZATION
Two Floors,
One Experience
The ground floor is divided between the performance stage wing and the full exhibition corridor. The mezzanine houses the food court, workshops, and puppet theater.
EXHIBIT GUEST FLOW
GROUND FLOOR
PERFORMANCE
MAIN STAGE + AUDIENCE
LEGACY PATH
ZONE D
AWARDS
ZONE C
COSTUME GALLERY
ZONE C
CHURCH
ZONE B
WORKS & CORDEL
ZONE B
SCENTS
ZONE A
THE HOUSE
ZONE A
MEZZANINE
WORKSHOP AREA
ZONE F
WORKSHOP AREA
ZONE F
WORKSHOP AREA
ZONE F
WORKSHOP AREA
ZONE F
FOOD COURT
MAIN STAGE + AUDIENCE
— 03 - PROGRAMMING
Workshops &
Live Events
Beyond the static exhibition, the event offers an active cultural program on the mezzanine level, creating distinct zones within a unified open space.
Art Workshops
Participants explore Northeastern art forms — xilogravure printing, cordel booklet making, clay modeling — directly inspired by the aesthetic universe of Ariano Suassuna and the Armorial Movement.
Puppet Theater — Fantoche
The mezzanine's puppet theater presents mamulengo performances — the shadow puppet tradition of Northeastern culture. Performed by professionals and, following workshops, by participants themselves.
Reading Sessions
Dedicated reading workshops introduce participants to Suassuna's literary works and the broader tradition of Cordel literature, making the literature accessible to audiences of all ages.
Main Stage Shows
The ground floor stage hosts evening performances — music rooted in the Armorial tradition, theatrical readings from Suassuna's plays. The scenic city transforms at night into a dramatic backdrop for live performance.
"All my works are stones that I gather to build my castle."
ARIANO SUASSUNA, 1927–2014