Personal · 2025
Empty structures photographed until they start to feel like sculpture.
Silent Forms is a series of photographs of abandoned wine warehouses and pumping stations along the Douro river. Each building was visited several times, at different hours, until the light revealed its shape.
Challenge
Most of the buildings were closed or partly collapsed. Access had to be negotiated with owners, and some sites could only be visited once.
Approach
I worked on medium-format film with a single lens, always from eye level, and waited for overcast light that flattened detail and emphasised volume.
Result
Twenty-four photographs were exhibited at a small gallery in Porto, and the series is now being prepared as a book.
Project details
- Client — Self-initiated
- Year — 2025
- Discipline — Personal
- Location — Douro Valley, Portugal
Credits
- Photography — Inês Varela
- Printing — Laboratório Sal
- Text — Tiago Abreu