Wall Mural at Entrecampos Railway Station - Lisbon
A black and white mural on the lower west exit passageway of Entecampos railway station in Lisbon, supported by Refer Património. A collaborative work with photographer Paula Barbosa were the general public using the passageway are interviewed, photographed and painted on the wall.
Context
CONTEXT
This project revolves around two anthropological issues that are profoundly linked to public transportation settings. The train station is a non-place, as french anthropologist Marc Augé that defines "non-place" as anthropological spaces of transience that do not hold enough significance to be regarded as "places".
Entrecampos is particularly so, as a major central station in Lisbon set in between emblematic and very busy quarters of the city, and yet disembodied of its original historical placement - the old city amusement park, which has been dismantled for many years, and location is yet to be re-urbanized.
CONTENT
CONTENT
A line drawing, where different expressions and poses, the outfits and the thoughts of that particular individual is having, at that moment, when passing by the passageway. The characters are placed in different planes of a view of the train departure platforms, some are walking or running to catch the train, some are waiting, some interact with each other, and others travel together.
Surrounding some of the characters, a phrase hovers over the figure. Statements, questions and thoughts given by the public, others fabricated by writers and poets invited to participate on this mural project.
PROCESS
During 4 weeks, the users of the passageway were invited to participate, sharing their image and their thoughts.
Passengers, train drivers, workers at the station, where randomly approached and were interviewed and photographed, scketched and painted on the very location,. 111 people were represented on the 40 meters long mural
Several participants of the mural kindely posed for us, standing in front os their own portrait on the wall when it was completed.
The station security officer, the tran drivers, students, commuters, the homeless who spleeps over at the tunel are here.
On an initial stage, the background of the mural was painted, building a set stage for the future characters - the train platforms. Over a period of 3 weeks, characters would materialize, daily, and soon reached 111 elements.
On a final stage, the statements collected from the interviewed and some additional phrases, written by writters Rosalina Marshall and Valério Romão, who were also invited to participate, were placed around the characters.