The fair and the viaduct: spaces for consumption from there configuration of the main access road to Madureira, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil

Abstract

The present work analyzed the uses of the Negrão de Lima viaduct, located in Madureira, in the North Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Designed to help the flow of traffic in the neighborhood, the viaduct takes on other meanings based on interference based on improvisation. The lower part of “Negrão de Lima”, designed only to allow the movement of people through Madureira, also gives space for parking, street vendors and, depending on the stretch, assumes the original appearance idealized by the planners. This paper combines bibliographic research and ethnography, through participant observation carried out at the Brecholeiras’ Market, a thrift store event, held weekly under the afore mentioned viaduct, which, by recon f iguring the street space, reinforces the imaginary that outdoor events transform the place, they stimulate sociability and convert it into different consumption spaces, where commerce, social bonds and affection are complementary concepts. The main objective of the article was to show that such occupations metamor phose “Negrão de Lima” into a place endowed with symbolism and, therefore, into a space of consumption, which becomes fundamental for social relations between those who interact with the viaduct of some form. After all, talking about consumption is understanding it as one of the main mediators of social rela tions, in which sociability is a prominent element. The various uses of “Negrão de Lima” generate different identifications and end up being remembered as events full of meanings, such as the Brecholeiras’ Market.