For the Vila Mada-aliens.
Anne Heuer
Even full of friends, Sao Paulo can feel impersonal. One day heading to a café on Rua Harmonia I came upon a gate that led to a tiny alley way full of green. A little hand made park, hugged by trees and ferns, quiet benches, hidden from the street and concrete and cars.
This secret has a name: Praca Harmonia dos sentidos, in Vila Madalena
My first one of many visits, I was alone in the park, but I was lit up with a feeling that I was not. I had a strong sense of affinity with all those who sat before me in that spot, and its creators. Alone, I felt with them.
The feeling came first, then the clues to spark my curiosity, cryptic messages, symbols in the ground, translucent light, pictographs of other worlds, and overly aggressive flowers.
I realized Praca Harmonia dos Sentidos was more than 90 square meters of peaceful green, it is a portal. A tea room of the 5th dimension, to be alone but together with all the other Vila Mada-aliens.
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Anne Heuer has found herself ex-patriating again, this time in Sao Paulo. She spends her time in restless pursuit of discovery, chasing down hot sweaty dance nights, and dealing with her conflicted feelings over social media.