(Pronounced 'oohrtah')

“Horta” means “food garden” in Brazil. There is no 1 word for “food garden” in English like there is in Portuguese. In English, it is a type of garden, that specifies in food growth. But a horta is not a type of garden that specifies in food growth, it is its own unique thing. And that being its own thing, gives it value and importance.

For me, a horta makes tangible the hope to a different future, a new kind of relationship between people and food. A horta invites community to come together, teach and learn, grow and experiment with new things, it asks for diversity rather than sameness, and it offers reciprocity. 

H.O.R.T.A. grew from that belief and from the desire to connect my Brazilian culture to my Canadian life.

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H.O.R.T.A. is a series of projects that creatively explore alternative food futures; more resilient and collaborative ones. 

Current H.O.R.T.A. projects include:​​

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• Growing gardens: the activation of public spaces - focusing on roundabouts around residential neighbourhoods - as communal food gardens sustained by the community around it.

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• Barcode Entry: an ongoing diary mapping where our foods come from.

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• A collection of stories of people's intimate, cultural and social relationships to food.