I planned to spend one month in Bahia experiencing the deep symbiotic relation to nature that permaculture pointed to, for me. To continue learning capoeira with masters as a way to deepen my understanding of how one can acquire another’s culture and experience by emulating their body movements. I then intended to live for three months in Rio to subjectively explore the emotional and psychological landscape of the city and investigate the idea that “the favela is the university of malandragem” as I was told by one of the many people I had previously quizzed on the subject.

At the start of the residency I wrote
“My ways of inhabiting my body will change but some will stay the same. As I change within the currents and interplays of self, environment and culture how much control do I have over this process?”
diary Bahia, Brazil January 12th

On April 22nd 2009 I wrote

On the 8th June I delivered a Street Training workshop with the support of Amy Pettifer and Viola Carnelutti from muf architecture/art to a group of 25 school children. The session began with an explanation of how joy shapes cities and young people and children are experts on joyful behaviour. I explained that was why I wanted to learn with them so as to gather their ways of being in the street and pass them on during the architecture biennale.