“Canto do Sol”

“Sunny Corner” is a panel of tiles mounted on a wall in the Rua das Lagares in Mouraria, Lisbon. Inaugurated in 2017 it consists of images of the present community together with images taken over 100 years ago. The idea is to show that where there is community there is life, and that we must value community above all else.

In recent years the community has been under threat because many inhabitants have been asked to vacate their properties for tourists. For me this gave a sense of urgency to show that community has always existed on this corner and that we must value it. These early images taken at the beginning of the 20th century are in a way timeless. All the residents of this street were involved in the project and the there was a grand party at the inauguration to celebrate it. The panel is made up of at least 60 mosaic tiles. The images were printed using a silver gelatin in the darkroom, and then varnished to protect them from UV rays and rain.