River drawings

River drawings with light.

"Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul.” Wassily Kandinsky

"There is a long history of using vision and optical metaphors to talk and theorize about knowledge. The physical phenomenon of reflection is a common metaphor for thinking-a little reflection shows this to be the case. Donna Haraway proposes diffraction as an alternative to the well-worn metaphor of reflection. As Haraway suggests, diffraction can serve as a useful counterpoint to reflection: both are optical phenomena, but whereas reflection is about mirroring and sameness, diffraction attends to patterns of difference... Diffraction involves reading insights through one another in ways that help illuminate differences as they emerge: how different differences get made, what gets excluded, and how those exclusions matter." Karen Barad

Drawing inspiration from Walter Benjamin’s ideas on mechanical reproduction and perception, this work investigates how digital apparatuses can expand our sensory capabilities. The camera, or other technological devices, become an extension of vision, unveiling layers of reality beyond what the naked eye perceives. Just as microscopy revealed hidden worlds, digital tools allow us to see alternative structures in the everyday, emphasizing the interplay between the organic and the artificial. This project explores how ordinary objects, when seen from new perspectives, can resemble microscopic organisms, revealing reality as an interconnected pattern. The images challenge our perception of the mundane by transforming the familiar into something that can resemble a living cell in a process of division.‍ The distorted images evoke cell structures, bacteria, or even embryonic forms, questioning the boundaries between the micro and macro, natural and artificial. The contrast between organic-looking shapes and technological intervention invites viewers to reconsider how we define life, perception, and materiality. By manipulating perspective, light, and movement through usage of digital tools, Cells encourages a deeper reflection on how the mechanisms of perception shape our understanding of the world. The project seeks to bridge scientific observation with artistic experimentation, revealing a hidden continuity between the visible and the imperceptible.

Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul.” Wassily Kandinsky

"Por que foi que cegámos, Não sei, talvez um dia se chegue a conhecer a razão, Queres que te diga o que penso, Diz, Penso que não cegámos, penso que estamos cegos, Cegos que veem, Cegos que, vendo, não veem." Ensaio sobre a cegueira - Saramago

River drawings with light.

This project is a part of a long and deep interest for water and its inherent lively dynamics and simbology.

"Diffraction involves reading insights through one another in ways that help illuminate differences as they emerge: how different differences get made, what gets excluded, and how those exclusions matter. " Meeting the Universe Halfway - Karen Barad

"Por que foi que cegámos, Não sei, talvez um dia se chegue a conhecer a razão, Queres que te diga o que penso, Diz, Penso que não cegámos, penso que estamos cegos, Cegos que veem, Cegos que, vendo, não veem." Ensaio sobre a cegueira - Saramago

"Diffraction involves reading insights through one another in ways that help illuminate differences as they emerge: how different differences get made, what gets excluded, and how those exclusions matter. " Meeting the Universe Halfway - Karen Barad

Given fungi’s ability to perceive environmental stimuli, including sound-induced vibrations, this research questions how human-generated sounds impact mycelium, uncovering previously overlooked dialogues in which humans may unknowingly engage. Fungi establish mycorrhizal networks, an intricate communication system formed by the interweaving of mycelium with different plants and trees, linking entire forests. These networks foster inter-species communication and represent a crucial model of symbiosis. Symbiophone is a metaphorical method of communication with fungi. It aims to create room for reflection on overlooked agents while offering a glimpse into a unique form of inter-species communication and upon manifestations of existing in symbiosis.

Explorations on abstraction, metamorphosis and photodrawing.

Research on microbiomes. In residency at Casa de Mateus (work in progress).