In August, the Transmoras Atelier (ATM) will launch a new collective project that includes a series of training activities aimed at transgender people, transgender people, Black, Indigenous, and peripheral women, and working women in general, aged 18 to 35. The project will combine cutting, sewing, and textile transmutation practices with discussions on guaranteeing rights, social inclusion, and income generation.
"We want to promote, above all, civic education based on economic empowerment," said ATM's institutional relations coordinator, Luara Souza de Oliveira.
Funded through a parliamentary amendment by Representative Erika Hilton, the project also has the support of Unicamp's Office of the Provost for Extension, Sports, and Culture (Proeec). The initiative integrates its efforts to promote inclusion, guarantee rights, and generate income for vulnerable populations.
The course will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person activities in Campinas and São Paulo and remote meetings.
A central part of the program is the course "Cutting, Sewing, and Creation in Textile Transmutation," which will take place in-person at the Trans Consciousness Center (NCT) at Unicamp from August 7 to November 21. With 139 hours of coursework spread over 15 weeks, classes will take place on Thursdays and Fridays, from 18 p.m. to 22 p.m., and will combine sewing practices with discussions about memory, identity, and empowerment.
In addition, the training includes guided tours of cultural spaces, photography workshops, open studios, a fashion show, a fair and a symposium.
"Textile transmutation, the concept that guides our work, engages with the experiences of trans, Indigenous, and Black bodies. In the studio, we seek to reframe what would otherwise be discarded or abandoned," explained Luara. At the end, a fashion show will be presented featuring a collection from each course member.
The course offers 20 places for participants and another five for listeners in Campinas, with registration open until July 28th, through of this formFour participants will be selected at the end to receive seed capital of R$2.400 each, intended to sponsor their own original projects.
All selected participants will receive on-site meals, a certificate at the end of the course, and a transportation allowance of R$120 per month. The ATM teaching team will select applicants based on their responses to the form. The results will be announced on July 31st via email and on the group's Instagram.
Dining Room
Founded in 2013 by fashion designer and activist Vicenta Perrotta, Ateliê Transmoras emerged as an occupation in the Unicamp Student Housing and today celebrates 12 years of history and the acquisition of a new physical space, installed next to the NCT.
The change of address represents the consolidation of the project, recently recognized as a Cultural Point by the Municipal Government of Campinas, through the Municipal Department of Culture and Tourism.
ATM has developed projects in partnership with initiatives such as the Marsha! collective, the São Paulo Cultural Center, the Tomie Ohtake Institute, the São Paulo Social Service of Commerce (Sesc-SP), Casa do Povo, Todxs, and several other institutions. In addition to producing art, the studio engages in politics through culture, defending the right of trans and transvestite people to existence, autonomy, and prosperity in their territories..
"For us, this isn't just a seal. This is visibility that strengthens our roots, amplifies our voices, and proves that our culture is affection, living memory, and a tool for transformation. With our hearts beating fast, we continue to pulsate, occupy, and transmute," said Perrotta, also president of ATM.
Although in-person activities have now taken place at the new address, the original space remains active and will be transformed into a memory space.
A collection is being assembled with the support of a Unicamp extension project, coordinated by Professor Dora Maria Grassi, from the Institute of Biology (IB), and with the participation of six scholarship holders, responsible for cataloging and preserving the studio's pieces.
The action is also part of a project supported by the Cultural Action Program (Proac), in partnership with students from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism (Fecfau) at Unicamp, to renovate the space and create an open and permanent art gallery.
