The Aldeias do Xisto Network is a regional sustainable development initiative led by ADXTUR, in partnership with 21 Municipalities of the Centro Region and more than 100 private operators. ADXTUR's mission is to generate territorial attractiveness, stimulating a social and territorial sustainable and integrated development with nature and places.
Aldeias do Xisto aims to reinvent the culture of places with their inhabitants to create social and economic value in these territories. We invoke the memory of solidary of the rural and genuine community spirit to dare to do and experiment differently, based on our resources and opening the door to new thoughts and settlers.
Finding opportunities to face the vicious cycle of economic and social decline that most rural areas are facing today requires a renewed look at problems, exploring less traveled paths. Aldeias do Xisto has been building a living laboratory, inviting residents in these territories to create and experiment, and to create centres of transformation in the social fabric that are capable of germinating new ways of doing and being.

Schist Villages

Activities/Workshops:

Wood carving workshop
Creativity and woodcarving, working chestnut wood, one of the most noble and autochthonous trees of the region. New paths to an ancestral technique. Wood carving, especially the low relief technique traditionally associated with sacred art or furniture carpentry, can and should also go onward in other ways – new projects and contents, be they figurative or abstract, simple or in association with other materials or colors. This course is a creative approach to woodcarving as a means of personal and artistic expression. After an introduction to the techniques and raw materials, each participant will prepare his own project, accompanied and supported by the trainer in an atmosphere of friendship, cooperation, and mutual aid among all participants.
Program
- Basic woodcarving techniques
- Finishing techniques
- Tool maintenance and safety at work
- Creative thinking and observation
Location: Cerdeira – Lousã    Date: 1-2/07/2017

Ceramics workshop
An ancestral and therapeutic technique. See objects being born and growing from the work of your own hands while learning several pottery techniques, including the potter's wheel.
Program
- Brief introduction to the history of ceramics
- Presentation of pastes and tools used
- Brief demonstration of the different techniques: lastra, roll, modeling, pottery
- Exercises with each technique
- Execution of pieces on the potter's wheel
- Approaches to finishing and decoration techniques
Location: Cerdeira – Lousã    Date: 26-27/08/2017

Linen manual weaving workshop
The streets of the village of Janeiro de Cima hide secrets such as Casa das Tecedeiras, a space where the linen tradition is reinvented through pieces of modern design.
Program:
- Experimentation with a manual linen loom
- Contact with the weaving tradition
- Basic notions of manual loom mechanics
- Concept development of a manual weaving piece
Location: Janeiro de Cima – Fundão    Date: to announce

Digital manufacturing Meet-up
The FabLab Aldeias do Xisto, based in the old town square of Fundão, is a space for low-cost creation and experimentation where there are no limits to creativity, betting on a strategy of innovation and entrepreneurship. Here you will find advanced technology for the ordinary citizen to find the best way to achieve their projects and innovative suitable solutions for those who seek new creative and entrepreneurial paths.
Program: Introduction to cooperation and knowledge sharing; contextualization; design; concept development; manufacture and testing of solutions.
Equipment available: 3D printer, cutting and engraving by milling CNC machine, milling machine and 3D scanner, cutting plotter, laser cutting machine and sewing machine.
Location: FabLab – Fundão    Date: to announce

Language(s) available for the workshop(s): Portuguese | English | German (only at Cerdeira)

For more information / Contact:
Website: www.aldeiasdoxisto.pt
Email: marketing@aldeiasdoxisto.pt ; kerstinthomas1@gmail.com