Altar da laranjeira
(Orange tree Altar)

1. Orange monoculture plantations (one with oranges, another one drying)
2 channel HD video, color, stereo sound, loop

2. Orange found in the middle of ashes, next to an orange tree plantation
Burned orange, 5cm x 6cm
Mono sound, looped

3. Untitled
Orange tree in clay vase, variable dimensions
Rice paper lighting structure, 100cm x 50cm

Thank you:

Luísa Ramires
Salomón Pérez
Inês Lima
Marcelo Tavares
Erro Rasker
Matilde Cappelletti

With the support of:

Associação Alfaia
Câmara Municipal de Loulé

Description:

Orange Tree Altar is a multimedia installation developped in residency at Alfaia Association in the beginning of 2024.

The Altar is a place where one can pause and reflect. It was made in the region of Algarve, in the south of Portugal. I’ve always had a deep connection with the Algarve, but solely as a tourist, as I have spent vacations there every year of my life. Orange juice made with “Algarve oranges” marked my memories of childhood and of that dear place. During the residency in Loulé, I came in contact with the region in a different manner and realised that I only had a superficial perspective on it. In fact, the “Algarve oranges” that I thought were so authentic were perhaps just a marketing strategy. I learned that it is a common practice to let dry entire tree plantations and burn them, usually in order to replace them by another species. Bewildered by this change of perspective, I decided to plant an orange tree in my family’s small vacation home - but before, it was to be present in the installation. In the Altar, we can admire the baby orange tree, which is being lit by sunlight coming from a hole in the ceiling - the light being directed by a rice paper structure I built with some help. At the same time, two videos and sounds create a relaxed mood of darkness, and a burned orange sits on the wall like an end point.