Over the last 7 years, between Figueira da Foz - a small town in Portugal - and the neighbouring beach of Cabedelo, people get together and share. They share waves, surfboards, music, art, and last but not least, they share good food and wine.
Gliding Barnacles appears in an attempt to promote surfing as part of a community, and has given new meanings to a celebration that has started with a group of friends, about the passion for the sea and surfing in Figueira da Foz.
This desire to connect the sea to the city in a big event managed to transform what was a peripheral place - Praia do Cabedelo - into a space that defied its own limits and that united, annually, the four corners of the world through sea culture, art, music and gastronomy.
Gliding Barnacles, that’s a very unusual name, what’s the meaning of it?
In the same way that barnacles and limpets live attached to a ship's hull, surfers live attached to their surfboards, gliding over the waves. They are “Gliding Barnacles”.
How was the idea born? And did it always have this Art-Surf-Music concept?
GB didn’t start as an event or a festival. It started as a community of surfers fighting for their favorite wave called Cabedelo. The desire has always been to share, above all, Cabedelo. And other things we like: surfing, music, photography, cinema, painting, food and wine. In a city known for tourism, we created an event, involved the local population, and attracted even more people.
Over the past 7 events, we have transformed a peripheral coastal city in the context of national surfing, into an international hub of classic surfing culture! With collaborations with events taking place in Australia, Indonesia, United States, Japan, Brazil, and in countless European and world countries.
Every year we share Cabo do Mondego beaches with people from all over the world.
There is a lot of hard work to produce such an event. Who’s behind the organization and how does the process of creating a cultural and artistic program happen?
It is said that men do not measure themselves in spans. In our case, we can say that it is not measured in numbers. The dedication as well as the love we put into everything we do, speak for themselves.
From the first moment, we kept an open dialogue spirit, of distributing work according to the availability and generosity of all employees, partners and volunteers who help us. We try to organize an open and free party that reflects the ideals and values intrinsic to the event. That's how we positively agitate this city.
GB is a production of Associação de Desenvolvimento Mais Surf (ADMS), with the support of the Municipality of Figueira da Foz, Turismo Centro de Portugal and other local, regional, national and international entities.
Besides the usual cultural offer, this year you’ve stood out even more than usual by hosting an artistic residence. How was the selection process done and what were the required criteria to become a member?
Art has always been an integral part of GB. We think of Figueira and Cabedelo as a space of creative energy that results from sharing waves and experiences, and it has always been our desire to extend this experience beyond the 5 days of the event. For this reason, we have always tried to create a series of artistic residencies based on the seasons.
In 2020, since it was necessary to restrict the number of guests, due to the pandemic situation, we chose to space the invitations over time and distribute them among the various residences throughout the year. This allows us to guarantee that we can receive all the artists that have contributed in some way, or were part of the GB family, and also leave the door open for anyone who wants to join us.
There is no rigorous selection process. As in all other areas of our event, we welcome with open arms all creative and curious people who want to leave their mark.
Is it true you can go for a ‘night shift’ surf at Praia do Cabedelo?
In the 2019 edition, GB presented for the first time a surfing experience illuminated at night. This initiative was part of the Interreg program, promoted by ADMS, in partnership with Ad-Elo. During the experience, the south jetty was filled with people who wanted to see surfers in the water, in an unprecedented turnout in the night at Cabedelo beach, reinforcing the idea of the future success of this type of equipment permanently.
You can see more here.
Surf is a sport that attracts hundreds of people to Portugal every year, but not many are aware that there are more than 2/3 famous spots to surf in the country. Is it part of your intention, when hosting this event, to attract more visitors and with that promote other regions of Portugal?
Precisely. We want to affirm Figueira da Foz and the Cabo Mondego area as a place of excellence throughout the year for the practice of surfing, in particular, classic longboard and surfing as an artistic expression.
By valuing the potential of Cabo Mondego's waves as a factor of deepening the relationship of the sea with this entire territory, we found the motivation for the work that animates us every year: the creation of a true point of arrival, where it is possible to celebrate the annual meeting of surfers from all over the world, artists and creators and everyone who identifies with the immense horizons that the sea provides, and who continue to explore the Portuguese coast from here.
In this year of consecration of a new maritime map called “Portugal is Sea”, which shows that considering our territory in all its dimensions (sea and land), 97% of Portugal is Sea, we assume even more strongly the importance of celebrating our sea culture.
From where in the world would you say that the people that attend the festival come from?
Every year we share Cabo do Mondego beaches with people from all over the world, from over 25 countries (South Africa, Germany, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, South Korea, Spain, India, Indonesia, England, Ireland, Israel, Italy, France, Hawaii, Holland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, USA).
We are a real pot of multiculturalism!
How was this year's festival different from the others, due to the pandemic situation that we’re living in?
Throughout the year, the pandemic became an unavoidable and tangible reality that forced the postponement of the overwhelming majority of events and celebrations that were planned in Portugal, and forced us to rethink the way we work. In view of the situation, we decided to escape the summer crowds and hold GB in October, in a new format, constrained to a limited number of surfers and creative guests.
Closing the doors to the general public has always been unthinkable in other editions, and it went against our culture of an open house for everyone, but it was the only way to control a situation that is beyond our control. In this way, we also adjusted the schedule for activities related to art and creativity, underlining the multidisciplinary work that we have been developing over the years.
We wanted to keep our arms open, even when the pandemic tied us up. If not possible, we can only hope that next year we can be physically together and continue to make Figueira da Foz a safe haven for the surf culture in Portugal.
How do you, as a festival, commit to the environmental values, regarding ocean pollution?
In reference to the classic surf of Hawaii and the deep respect for Nature and the harmony between land and sea - even before sustainability and recycling became a trend, - we decided to continue to develop artistic practices in a handcrafted logic.
We will always look for new inspirations in the history of local materials and techniques, always with the concern to mold ourselves to Nature and not Nature to us.
We believe that only in this way will it be possible to survive as a species and we always try to pass this concern on to those who visit us.
Any plans so far for the next year’s edition?
We have many ideas and plans, but neither the pandemic nor our “modus operandi” allows us to plan something so far in advance. There are some elements that are certain: surfing, music, art, and sustainability will always be the pillars of our event. What varies is the shape. Thanks to our relaxation and informality, we have become a liquid event in time and moldable to the context.
Everything happens when it has to happen: at any time, in any way. No worries, no rush.
FUN FACT: One of the distinguishing features of this event is that there is no competition. There’s only Expression Sessions, which are just that: an expression of the joy for surfing.
Everything is done around what is available. Sofas on the beach, sardines and meat for barbecues, wine and beer and the semi-abandoned building that serves as a place for artistic residencies and concerts.
Thank You GB team, it was a pleasure learning more about you!
You can follow them on IG @glidingbarnacles or FB GlidingBarnacles
Interviewed by Inês Monney
Interior architect and designer, passionate about anything Art related. Travel, Ocean, Nature and Sunset lover 〰 Inês is collaborating with Surfpreneurs Club as an intern, looking to inspire and be inspired.
Similar interviews
