PRINTS
“LENTE CYANOTYPES”
2020-2021
Cyanotype prints are connected with my films. I was originally inspired by the narratives and aesthetics of Portuguese tiles, when I started this project as a collaboration with artist Ana Paxeco. The printing process is handcrafted, and each print has unique blue tones, shadows, and details.
Images are an assemblage of popular arts and crafts, tools and characters from the Portuguese fauna. The same presence can be encountered in my “Looking for a Friend” archive films.
LILY THE PIGEON
“In June my partner N moved to live with me. One day he brought home a couple of domestic pigeons. Due to a misunderstanding, the salesman had cut off the tip of one of their wings so they wouldn’t fly. N believes that the souls of the deceased can be incarnated in pigeons. He welcomed them at home as close relatives.
While I was trying to integrate into the natural landscape, the two pigeons were trying to fit into a human’s apartment.
Sadly Lily, the lady pigeon, was soon widowed. Waiting for its wing to grow back to fly away, Lily becomes N’s best friend. I documented the steps of Lily’s life with us. I felt a lot of empathy for her luxury prison situation. She was loving to stay hours in front of a mirror or a framed photo of a bird. I am sure she was feeling less alone. “
I wrote the story of my pigeon friend Lily for the film project A Healing Opera (Act 1). Lily helped me to find words for loss and grief. Lily's story is gradually forgotten during the film, in favour of queerness and joy in Act 3. Lily is a protagonist of many of my prints.