The beach of Atafona, a former port village, from the 1950s has become a resort for holidaymakers from nearby major cities.

Since the 70's, however, the sea waters have been invading its coast in the stretches closest to the Paraíba do Sul river mouth and demolishing houses, buildings, monuments, streets ... The beach has earned the nickname “beach of apocalypse” It is now a residual portion of what was once a long and prolific stretch of coastal land of a city of strong economic and cultural importance in the history of the country. The process of environmental erosion has caused a change of such magnitude in the aesthetic and social scenario of the place that the region currently lends itself uniquely to a laboratory of observation, rescue and aesthetic proposition in an action research methodology, promoting revitalization and social narrative production in Brazil.