"Following the development of the film piece "How to Make a Cloud" (2020) on the island of São Jorge, the theme of clouds (physical and metaphorical) reappears in Shadow Phenomena, a limited-edition artist's book launched in April 2024. Thus, once again deepening this research, the central theme of the project for this artistic residency is clouds; both physical, which define the magical atmosphere of the Azores and the volcano, and metaphorical, associating the eruption with emotional phenomena. The volcano is also the main investigator of these clouds, visualizing the sky like an astronomical observer, preserving the memory of the clouds until the eruption in which it releases that inner sky, the secrets that were erased at the bottom of the sea are finally returned to the sky. This contrast between the inner sky and the outer sky will be one of the elements to be explored graphically and plastically during the stay. Through drawing, photography, and writing, the final piece will take the form of a roll of fabric with a crank system, operating like a carpet." Manual roller.

The viewer can turn the crank or pull a rope to rotate the painted fabric panels. This act mirrors the movement of tectonic plates and the rolling and overlapping of the fissure where time fades into magma and the unfolding of the subsequent eruption. Techniques and processes that will be applied to the fabric are oil painting and natural pigments, cyanotype, and color toning with natural elements. The marks on the fabric are composed of several sections printed mostly in blue cyanotype, using a small press adapted to the workspace. The prints are formed with the natural light of the Azores and with chemical compounds that approximate the reality of the volcano."

The installation is an ongoing project that the artist developed during 2024 between Faial, Flores, and Lisbon.

WORSHOP

The artist led an introductory cyanotype workshop for the local community, where participants were able to experience the complete process of this artistic technique, which allows for all kinds of revelations. Participants went through every step, from harvesting the plants to the creative process in a camera obscura, exposure in sunlight, immersion in a blue bath, and sun-drying.

Beatriz Santa-Rita is an artist whose academic and professional career is divided between Lisbon and London, where she graduated in Fine Arts from the City and Guilds of London Art School in 2020. She currently focuses on painting and painting installation. Recent exhibitions include Sad With a Square/ Pós and Triste ao Quadrado at Catorze Associação Cultural, where she was curator, exhibiting artist, and composer for the soundtrack of the projected film piece, and the paper installation ABRIGO, created for the Housing Action Day debate at Livraria das Insurgentes, as part of a series of sculptural magazines in development. Recent events also include the launch of the limited edition artist's book Fenómenos de Sombra in April 2023.