The Memory Path

Master ︎ Theory and Scientific Methods
Supervisors ︎ Michel Melenhorst, Janine Tücsen
Tools ︎ Grasshopper, Photoshop
Place ︎ Sao Paulo, Brazil
Year ︎ 2019

With 4,32 km of extension, to remind the 432 confirmed deaths and disappearances caused by the military regime, the memory path aims to act as a giant scar over the city of Sao Paulo, with its hovering presence always reminding those who need of the terrors of the dictatorial regime. The structure connects six buildings or sites that hosted repressive events during the regime. Constructed with scaffolding structures, the pathway mimics the always in construction character of a big city as Sao Paulo, but at the same time stands out because of its red colour. With two floors, one closed and one open, the pathway serves as an exhibition and memorial space about the dictatorship, telling the story of these and other invisible repression places. In the centre of the path is the Memorial for Resistance of Sao Paulo, which functioned as a prison during the regime.

Since the presidential elections of 2014, when Dilma Rousseff from the worker’s party (PT) won over the right-wing Aécio Neves (PSDB) Brazil has been extremely politically divided. Rousseff’s reelection would be the fourth consecutive term of the left-wing party ahead of the presidency, which caused great discontent among the voters who wanted a change in power. Despite her being democratically elected, this parcel of the population, encouraged by the losing party, started a series of protests in 2015 asking for the impeachment of the left-wing president. And it became usual to see among the protestors people asking for a military intervention to remove forcibly the president of her post.

These protestors see with nostalgia the period of the military dictatorship in Brazil, that occurred from April 31st 1964 until March 15th 1985. It began with the military coup that brought down the democratically elected president João Goulart and lasted for 21 years under different succeeding military governments. With an authoritarian and nationalist character, the regime changed the constitution, suppressing civil freedom and censoring, torturing and exiling those who opposed the government.

Back to 2015, the protests culminated in the opening of the impeachment process, and in 2016 Dilma Rousseff was officially retired of her post, in a process that is still recognized by specialists as unconstitutional and the result of a conspiracy among the right-wing parties to retake the power. During the authoritarian regime, Rousseff fought against it, being arrested and tortured. At the voting session for the impeachment in the congress, the then-congressman Jair Bolsonaro voted in favour of the impeachment while paying homage to the most famous torturer of the authoritarian regime, responsible also for the torture of Rousseff.

Bolsonaro said: “For the memory of colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the terror of Dilma Rousseff […] my vote is ‘yes’”. His statement caused great outrage, but he ended up not being punished and even elected president in 2018.

This is just one of a series of comments in favour of the military regime made by the president, who is leading the ascent of the extreme right in Brazil. The moment is urgent to remind the citizens (specially those who voted for Bolsonaro) of the country’s dark past so that history does not repeat itself.