Engaging the Audience

Between 19^th of July 2022 and February 12, 2023, the Museum of Tomorrow (“Museu do Amanhã”) in São Paulo, Mauá, Brazil, received the exhibition “Amazônia” (“Amazon”) from Sebastião Salgado.

Idealized by Lélia Wanick Salgado, it displayed 194 pictures taken by Salgado between 2013 and 2019 and is the result of the couple’s immersion in the region that covers the North of Brazil and extends to eight more South American countries, occupying a third of the continent; and 60% of the Amazon is in Brazil. 

It was memorable event because of both iconic images and their powerful message of an invitation to information, reflection, and action in defense of this region that is such an important ecosystem essential to life to our entire planet.

“When designing ‘Amazônia’, I wanted to create an environment in which the visitor felt like they were inside the forest, integrated with its lush vegetation and with the daily lives of local populations”, commented Lélia on the opening day.

As you would enter the four different areas of the exhibition, sounds, lighting, and decoration were used in such a way you would feel being transported to the Amazon jungle. That was what most engaged me for sure. I felt I was there. The corridors between the sections would flow like the Amazon rivers.

It was a massive display, and a good number of the pictures were not printed and framed but showed through very high-tech LCD screens. Somehow, I felt disturbed with that. It was beautiful but contrasted with the concept of the rawness of the Amazon, especially when seeing the images of those completely unreached and hidden indigenous groups. 

One thing that I believed was crucial to engage me and the public with the social theme behind the exhibition were the panels and lectures that were constantly happening throughout the period. Many of them were broadcasted online for free and were very useful to create more awareness and understanding of the Amazon.