Pivô Coaty Presents the Fifth Circuito Lina Walk, Reflecting on Artistic Activations at Ladeira da Misericórdia

On July 31, Pivô held another edition of Circuito Lina with its fifth walk through Ladeira da Misericórdia, bringing together artists Virginia de Medeiros and Lanussi Pasquali to discuss artistic activations that have shaped the recent history of the Ladeira and its surroundings. The conversation was moderated by Dilton de Almeida, professor and researcher at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA).

This edition proposed a discussion of artistic activations as practices that challenge the relationships between artwork, territory and experience, temporarily reshaping the uses and meanings of urban space. Drawing on the presence of artists in building a history of occupation along the Ladeira, the walk brought into dialogue experiences that, at different moments, activated the site as a field for aesthetic and political experimentation.

In 2007, Virginia de Medeiros took part in Pirambeira! Manifesta Multimídia, one of the region’s first recent artistic activations, presenting A Guardiã da Fonte (The Guardian of the Fountain) at the Fonte da Misericórdia itself. The work was developed in close collaboration with the community of Ladeira da Montanha and forms part of the artist’s broader research into territory, identity and representation.

In 2016, Lanussi Pasquali, together with Joãozito, conceived Ocupação Coaty, held within the architectural complex designed by Lina Bo Bardi and João Filgueiras Lima. The initiative brought together a diverse network of artists, researchers, architects and local residents, reactivating the space through workshops, exhibitions, performances and public discussions, and repositioning Ladeira da Misericórdia within Salvador’s contemporary art circuit.

Drawing on these experiences, the walk proposed thinking of Ladeira da Misericórdia as a territory of symbolic dispute, where artistic practice can operate as a form of reactivation. Beyond simply occupying space, it creates connections, narratives and forms of belonging. The memory of these activations endures over time, remaining inscribed between ruin and project, between voids and invention. By bringing together artists who worked directly within this context, the walk revisited this field of forces while projecting new possibilities for presence and action within the territory.

Circuito Lina, a programme of walks through Ladeira da Misericórdia from different perspectives and experiences, is part of the activation process of Pivô Coaty and forms part of Centro-Vivo: Archive and Research Laboratory of Ladeira da Misericórdia. The project is an initiative by Pivô in partnership with the Municipality of Salvador, with institutional support from the School of Architecture at the Federal University of Bahia (FAUFBA).

Each walk is led by different guests, who share their research, experiences and readings of the territory through the lenses of architecture, urban history, cultural practices, memory and the relationships built with Ladeira da Misericórdia.