Patchwork: preserving "electricity" heritage in São Paulo
25 years of the Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Collection in Jundiaí 04 (2019) by Gustavo MoritaThe Energy and Sanitation Foundation
The history of the Foundation begins in 1998.
At the time, the companies of the Brazilian electric sector were being privatized, and the state government of São Paulo opted for creating an independent institution to preserve the memory and heritage of gas and electricity in the state.
Thus, the Historic Heritage of Energy in São Paulo Foundation was born, a non-profit, private cultural entity.
In 2004, the organization embedded the thematic of sanitation to its mission. And so, the name Historic Heritage of Energy and Sanitation Foundation came to be, or, to put it shortly, the Energy and Sanitation Foundation.
Ronaldo Gomes 02 (2022-11-01)The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Ronaldo Gomes
"As I said, the documents that allowed the Foundation’s work to start, all of it, I was transporting. So, basically, it was something that was already happening, and I wasn’t aware of."
Ronaldo Gomes, 41 years old. In 1998, as an errand boy, he witnessed the creation process of the Energy and Sanitation Foundation. Currently, he is the Foundation’s Finance/Accounting Manager.
Collection
The Energy and Sanitation Foundation assembled the largest historical collection regarding the electrification of the state of São Paulo, with documents from the 19th Century, from many different sources. More than 7,000 surveys have already been provided free of charge.
The Foundation estate also encompasses two urban properties,
one in the city of Jundiaí, and another in Itu, besides four hydro plants, of the hydroelectric powerhouse category, located in Salesópolis, Rio Claro, Brotas, and Santa Rita do Passa Quatro.
It is in Jundiaí that the archival, bibliographical and museulogic collection is kept and maintained; and the Energy Museums are located in Itu, Salesópolis, and in São Paulo City, where the Foundation’s head office is located as well.
Claudio Maçarico 03 (2020)The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Cláudio Maçarico
“I left Eletropaulo in September of 1998, and in October, I started working at the Foundation. […] At the time, the museums were being constructed, the Museum of Itu was just being built, so a lot of things arrived for the collection.
Cláudio Maçarico, 70 years old. Began his work with the Energy and Sanitation Foundation at its inception, in 1998. He provides technical maintenance services.
Museum of Energy of Itu 04The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
The Museum of Energy of Itu
is built into a two-story house built in 1847 at the city’s historic district. In 1998, the two-story house was donated to the Energy and Sanitation Foundation, which began the house’s restoration. The Museum of Energy of Itu was inaugurated on December 14th, 1999.
Salesópolis Hydropower Plant 04The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
The Museum of Energy of Salesópolis
was built in a 156-acres park made up of remaining patches of the Atlantic Forest. The Museum houses a hydro plant from 1913, on the banks of the Tietê river, near the river’s source.
When inaugurated in 1913, the Salesópolis Power Plant
generated energy for the city of Mogi das Cruzes. In the following year, the second unit was built, and the Salesópolis Plant started to provide electricity to the municipalities of Caçapava, Jambeiro, Santa Branca and Salesópolis. By ship, the plant’s machinery was entirely imported from Germany.
When the foundation received the donation of the power plant in 1998, it stared the restoration and adaptation of its infrastructure as to allow for the different uses the building would have: cultural, of patrimonial and scientific-technologic education, relating to the generation and rational use of power.
Upon understanding the importance of having the plant attend the local demand of power generation, the Foundation filed a request for a concession with the National Electrical Power Agency – Aneel.
Elvis Luis de Jesus 01The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Elvis Luis de Jesus
"I tried to imagine how the actual Plant inauguration was, way back then. I said to myself: ‘Wow, it must have been a party kind of like this, right?’, just each in a way, that’s my impression of it."
Elvis Luis de Jesus, known as Japan, 44 years old. His ancestors worked at the Salesópolis Power Plant before it would become the Museum of Energy. He worked at the Plant as an operator between 1998 and 2021. Today, he is an entrepreneur at the Macuquinho Ranch, a place whose specialty is birdwatching.
Museum of Energy of São Paulo 01The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
In the rooms of the Museum of Energy of São Paulo,
interactive equipment and activities like games and film projections invited visitors of all ages to participate in scientific experiences and to reflect about the topics of energy and its future.
The building which once housed the Jundiaí
Electrical Energy Substation, currently the main office for the Energy and Sanitation Foundation’s historic collection, was constructed by the Light and Power of Jundiaí company, founded in 1904.It is believed that the building is from the late 1920’s, when the company was incorporated by the Light & Power company.
In 1953, Light transformed the substation into a commercial service agency. In 1998, the estate was donated to the Energy and Sanitation Foundation.
Between 2001 and 2014, the Museum of Energy of Jundiaí operated in that location. From 2015 onwards, the building housed the Foundation’s historic collection.
Alexia Rodrigues 01 (2019) by Gustavo MoritaThe Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Alexia Rodrigues
“I got there and saw that the location was very different, it no longer was the Museum. When Maria Fernanda was introducing me to the location, I saw it changed a lot and said : ‘Guys, look at how many sliding cabinets there are! So much documentation!’."
Alexia Rodrigues, 24 years old. She knew the Museum of Energy since she was a child. In 2018, she started working at the Museum’s building as an intern, which had already become an archive for the Energy and Sanitation Foundation’s historic collection. Currently, she is a documentation assistant for the collection.
Ana Sbrissa 01 by Letícia MartinsThe Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Ana Sbrissa
"But it’s like, this is 20 years of work, there’s a lot of hands and each one contributed in some way for us to get here. But today, the Museum of Energy of Itu is a place at the service of the community.”
Ana Sbrissa, 37 years old. Entered the Foundation as an intern in 2004. Since 2010, she is an administrator for the Museum of Energy of Itu.
Denis Quartim De Blasiis 01 (2022-11-01)The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Denis Quartim De Blasiis
"I say this for myself, I say it for the people who work there, but saying specifically for myself, I believe in what the Foundation does, I believe in the importance of the Foundation’s work."
Denis, 31 years old. Started at the Energy and Sanitation Foundation as an intern in 2013. Works as an estate administrator since 2019.
Fernanda F. Souza de Jesus 01 by Elvis Luis de JesusThe Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Fernanda Fátima de Jesus
"I see it as a place with a beautiful light. And energy. Let’s say it: it has to generate energy, has to keep generating energy; we have to see this machine here working again, producing power to the city, because this right here, it can never stop.”
Fernanda Fátima Souza de Jesus, 41 years old. Married to Elvis Luis de Jesus, worked as a general assistant, from 2011 to 2021 and the Museum of Energy of Salesópolis. Today, she is an entrepreneur at the Macuquinho Ranch, a place whose specialty is birdwatching, inspired by the couple’s experience with the practice at the Museum.
The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Administrative Council
President | Renato de Oliveira Diniz
Executive director | Rita de Cassia Martins Souza
“PATCHWORK” EXHIBIT
Achievement The Energy and Sanitation Foundation | Core Museum of the Person of The Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Collection Energy and Sanitation Foundation | Core Museum of the Person of the Energy and Sanitation Foundation
Curatorship and Expographic Design Danieli Giovanini | Isabel Felix | Mariana de Andrade
Collection research and selection Danieli Giovanini | Mariana de Andrade
Texts Danieli Giovanini | Isabel Felix | Mariana de Andrade
Interviewees Alexia Rodrigues | Ana Sbrissa | Claudio Maçarico | Denis Quartim De Blasiis | Elvis Luis de Jesus | Fernanda Fatima de Jesus | Josefa Medeiros | Ronaldo Gomes
Translation Gabriel Almeida Couri
Review Danieli Giovanini | Mariana de Andrade Dias da Silva
Graphic Designer and Interview Editing Fernando de Sousa Lima
Technical Support Isabella de Souza Matsura (Google Arts & Culture)
