Cumulus — ou a nuvem mais pesada
21.11 - 20.12.2024
The project "Cumulus — ou a nuvem mais pesada" (2023-24) is an artistic collaboration between artists David Lopes and Fábio Araújo.
A performance served as the starting point and guided an exhibition project that developed through a multidisciplinary practice. This performance aimed to follow a historical path through the city of Porto, unfolding along the military lines of D. Miguel troops and the Liberal army during the Siege of Porto. Performed by Fábio Araújo, the artist donned a military uniform and carried a metal plate on his back — a backpack-structure, as the artists call it. On the metal surface was printed a section of a drawing by João Baptista Ribeiro (1790-1868), who was a drawing professor at the Academia Politécnica do Porto, the predecessor of the University of Porto. This drawing constitutes a graphic report of the bombardments on the city during the Siege of Porto, featuring iconic architectural elements such as the Convent of Serra do Pilar and the Clérigos Tower. In the sky, there are depictions of clouds inscribed with the word “bomba” (bomb) or its abbreviation, “b.”[1]
The philosophy developed by Didi-Huberman around Aby Warburg's Bilderatlas montage influences the project, bringing into discussion the image of the titan Atlas, who in Greek mythology is condemned to bear the "weight of the heavens." Similarly, the soldier is conceived as an Atlas, entrusted with the responsibility of carrying the weight of the world in a war context. The act of walking along the lines of the Siege of Porto in relation to João Baptista Ribeiro's drawing suggests a reflection on dualities. The first duality is established between the city's urban space and the same space in times of war; the second, between the cartographic route of the 19th-century strategic battery points and Porto's current urban transformation; and finally, the duality between the photographic image of a cloud and the drawing of a bomb. These dualities foster various interpretations and converge on a central concern: human vulnerability in times of war.
The performative act is also an attempt to bring contemporary art into dialogue with the history of the city of Porto. By evoking a period of conflict and destruction in the present, the performance encourages reflection on how art can contextualize the past, illuminating the city’s transformations and its relationship with moments of crisis. This gesture invites us to consider the impact of war not only on the physical space but also on the narratives that shape urban and collective identity.
[1] https://gisaweb.cm-porto.pt/units-of-description/documents/300223/?q=ribeiro+cerco+do+porto
Organization: INSTITUTO, paulo moreira architetures
Support: FBAUP, i2ADS, FCT, Direção-Geral das Artes, Oficina Mescla, Pure Print, oBastidor
Photos: Marc Goodwin