Portugal
Good Friday everyone. I hope this finds you well...I've been sniffing and snivelling for the last couple of weeks- spring has been so very shy this year- I'm hoping that the sun will find its hat or its mojo, whatever's been lost, very soon. This, of course, is not so much of a problem in Portugal- quite the opposite as seen by the tragic fires last year- but it's not only the weather that makes me excited about writing this entry and about the Portuguese stage of the trip.
This is really the spiritual home of the journey- I first had the idea while sitting on a beach in Sines in November last year, and my visits to this country over the last few years have been maybe the biggest source of inspiration for all of my craftwork recently. I first went to see my friend Monica there for her wonderful exhibition about Connection and Belonging in a gallery in Sines, in the Alentejo. She'd asked me to contribute something- a giant knitted talego- the name for the drawstring cloth sacks people use to buy bread in that part of the world, and so looking at pictures of handmade talegos was my first introduction to the vibrant craftwork in Portugal. Monica's partner Carlos is a fantastic weaver (check out Alentejo Weaving on Instagram and facebook) and Monica herself is a fabulous sculptor, photographer and gardener, among many things (Monica Curtin Artwork), and their company is always inspiring, not just professionally but very much personally too. She was doing her yoga on the beach while I was starting to dream up this Atlantic Thread which is now becoming reality. You know that someone is a true inspiration when you don't just get ideas around them, but are inspired to act on them too. I have met so many makers in the Alentejo, and seen so much beautiful work, and I love the way of life there; interactions seem to me to be friendly yet not intrusive, and the light, the stars, the nature and the crashing waves there are simply beautiful.
Moreover, Portugal is perhaps the most Atlantic-facing part of Europe; its only land border is with Spain, and they are really are very different- this border having remained the same for many centuries. Portuguese is the language of a huge amount of the Atlantic coast, with the lusophone world containing Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau as well, and the country has long been famed for its sailing tradition. However, as with the spread of English, French, Spanish and Dutch across the Ocean, we can't think about all this without remembering the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade, a source of shame for the powerful across western Europe. This is not at all the Atlantic history I am focussing on my journey; I am looking at the connections along the coastline, the connections of ordinary people who shared their skills, loves and culture; but it isn't something I could ignore; not all connections along the Atlantic have been happy ones.
But back to Portugal, a country where traditional crafts are valued more than many other places, partly due to economic reasons....while it is rare to find clothes or shoes made in France or Britain nowadays, Portugal still produces these goods on a large scale. Maybe as more people are in touch with making and production rather than just consumption, there is a greater connection and awareness of the value of skills and crafts. Certainly towns and buildings are often very decorated, the aesthetic side of life seems important here. Basically, I'm not going to have any trouble finding beautiful yarns on this stage of the journey, and this week I'll be contacting yarn shops after I translate my introduction into Portuguese. Luckily I used to teach a lot of Brazilians who I am still in contact with, but I'm going to attempt a translation myself first.
I'll arrive in Portugal on Monday 8th October, from Vigo in Spain. The first few days will be in the North; Viana do Castelo, Porto (where I'll take a day off sightseeing for my birthday) and Figueira da Foz. Moving into the middle I'll go to Peniche and then the beautiful capital Lisbon and onto the Alentejo (the other side of the river Tejo). Here is the first part of the journey where I actually already know some good yarn shops that I am looking forward to returning to, as well as seeing people there; Alacer do Sal, Sines, Cercal do Alentejo, Vila Nova de Milfontes and onto Odemira or Sao Teotonio. Finally I'll go down to the Algarve for the first time- I'm looking at Sagres (to say thank you for the beer), Albufeira and Tavira provisionally. Then on Thursday 25th, it's back into Spain...
Thank you for reading, and wishing you all the joys of chocolate day on Sunday. Love and light to you all, Billy xxx
This is really the spiritual home of the journey- I first had the idea while sitting on a beach in Sines in November last year, and my visits to this country over the last few years have been maybe the biggest source of inspiration for all of my craftwork recently. I first went to see my friend Monica there for her wonderful exhibition about Connection and Belonging in a gallery in Sines, in the Alentejo. She'd asked me to contribute something- a giant knitted talego- the name for the drawstring cloth sacks people use to buy bread in that part of the world, and so looking at pictures of handmade talegos was my first introduction to the vibrant craftwork in Portugal. Monica's partner Carlos is a fantastic weaver (check out Alentejo Weaving on Instagram and facebook) and Monica herself is a fabulous sculptor, photographer and gardener, among many things (Monica Curtin Artwork), and their company is always inspiring, not just professionally but very much personally too. She was doing her yoga on the beach while I was starting to dream up this Atlantic Thread which is now becoming reality. You know that someone is a true inspiration when you don't just get ideas around them, but are inspired to act on them too. I have met so many makers in the Alentejo, and seen so much beautiful work, and I love the way of life there; interactions seem to me to be friendly yet not intrusive, and the light, the stars, the nature and the crashing waves there are simply beautiful.
Moreover, Portugal is perhaps the most Atlantic-facing part of Europe; its only land border is with Spain, and they are really are very different- this border having remained the same for many centuries. Portuguese is the language of a huge amount of the Atlantic coast, with the lusophone world containing Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau as well, and the country has long been famed for its sailing tradition. However, as with the spread of English, French, Spanish and Dutch across the Ocean, we can't think about all this without remembering the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade, a source of shame for the powerful across western Europe. This is not at all the Atlantic history I am focussing on my journey; I am looking at the connections along the coastline, the connections of ordinary people who shared their skills, loves and culture; but it isn't something I could ignore; not all connections along the Atlantic have been happy ones.
But back to Portugal, a country where traditional crafts are valued more than many other places, partly due to economic reasons....while it is rare to find clothes or shoes made in France or Britain nowadays, Portugal still produces these goods on a large scale. Maybe as more people are in touch with making and production rather than just consumption, there is a greater connection and awareness of the value of skills and crafts. Certainly towns and buildings are often very decorated, the aesthetic side of life seems important here. Basically, I'm not going to have any trouble finding beautiful yarns on this stage of the journey, and this week I'll be contacting yarn shops after I translate my introduction into Portuguese. Luckily I used to teach a lot of Brazilians who I am still in contact with, but I'm going to attempt a translation myself first.
I'll arrive in Portugal on Monday 8th October, from Vigo in Spain. The first few days will be in the North; Viana do Castelo, Porto (where I'll take a day off sightseeing for my birthday) and Figueira da Foz. Moving into the middle I'll go to Peniche and then the beautiful capital Lisbon and onto the Alentejo (the other side of the river Tejo). Here is the first part of the journey where I actually already know some good yarn shops that I am looking forward to returning to, as well as seeing people there; Alacer do Sal, Sines, Cercal do Alentejo, Vila Nova de Milfontes and onto Odemira or Sao Teotonio. Finally I'll go down to the Algarve for the first time- I'm looking at Sagres (to say thank you for the beer), Albufeira and Tavira provisionally. Then on Thursday 25th, it's back into Spain...
Thank you for reading, and wishing you all the joys of chocolate day on Sunday. Love and light to you all, Billy xxx
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