Desidério, the blacksmith, is the central figure of this installation. It focuses on the dedication and love he brings to everything he does—especially his work and the relationship with the woman who shared his life.

It weaves together two distinct but complementary elements:

• His words about the things he is passionate about: the art of working iron and the mother of his children, whom he married nearly 70 years ago.

• His work. The lifelong tasks of a daily routine that changed with the decline of agriculture. Gestures repeated time and again are evoked—along with the fire that shapes the metal and defines an era that has come to an end..

THE INSTALLATION AT LAC – LABORATORY OF CREATIVE ARTS

This installation emerged from a documentary about the same man: Travessa do Ferreiro. After completing the film, I screened it at his home and recorded him watching it alongside his wife.

These images were displayed at the entrance of the exhibition space, projected onto transparent acrylic—as if Master Desidério were truly present in that moment.

In addition to the single character, there was only one object: the sword Desidério gave me. It was this gift that gave the installation its name.

Only after finishing it did he tell me that this had been his intention all along:

“The work we used to do is gone.
To keep myself entertained, I started making swords;
and now I’m going to make the swords of Dom Afonso Henriques!”

Desidério shows his passion for the craft in the brief pauses between tasks, or as he repeats each movement at the anvil or in the forge. He sits down to rest and recalls the great love of his life. It was with her, he confides, that I became who I am.

It was insane!
I’ve never told this to anyone.

In addition to the videos and the sword, the installation includes black-and-white photos taken during the documentary shoot.

Ambientes sonoros podiam ser escutados isoladamente no recinto. Partilho alguns deles aqui:

// How I started making swords

// Making the sword

// The three Fs: forge, fire, and fan;

// Hammer

// Welding

The installation in Lagos was produced by Maria João Alcobia and the LAC (Laboratory of Creative Activities), which also hosted it in their gallery space.

The captions, written in charcoal, were created by Jorge Pereira.

REVISITING MASTER DESIDÉRIO

I later visited Master Desidério again. His workshop was closed. Though he was then widowed and inconsolable, he retained the same clarity of mind and sense of humor as when we first met.

After he passed away, I tried to encourage his family to preserve the contents of his workshop, given their great sentimental and cultural value. A municipality in the Algarve even offered to take the collection and conserve it for museum purposes. Sadly, this effort did not come to fruition. Despite an initially promising outlook, some of the pieces began to be removed from the space.

And so, the opportunity to preserve the memory of the Junqueira Blacksmith and his trade—to pass it on to future generations—was lost.

What remains is the documentary Travessa do Ferreiro.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting extraordinary people through the projects I’ve carried out. Desidério Rocha was one of those unforgettable figures.