Noah’s Ark is a photographic project about memory, centered in two houses strongly connected to my childhood, the house of my grand-parents in Oporto and the house of my grand-parents in a village near the border, called Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.
It is a project about memory and the loss that memory implies.
Upon dying, man erases
with his last breath
the world in which he lived.
Teixeira de Pascoaes
Noah’s Ark is a photographic project about memory, centered in two houses strongly connected to my childhood, the house of my grand-parents in Oporto and the house of my grand-parents in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.
Because:
Memories are tamed beasts we keep in our houses.
Memories are gentle beasts we feed lovingly by hand.
Memories are kind beasts who share our beds.
Memories are playful beasts that caress our heads and tear at our chests, precisely where the heart lies.
Memories are beasts sniffing the floor for primordial scents.
Memories are beasts showing their teeth on guard at the doors of the past.
Memories are beasts in danger of becoming extinct.
It is a project about memory and the loss that memory implies.
100 pags of photographs, with a text written by the author in both languages: Portuguese and English
"Noah’s Ark comes from the pain of that perception that the memory of my grandparents and of their houses, where I lived part of my childhood, dies in me, little by little, every day. They transform, deteriorate, fade and gradually extinguish until the day they disappear along with me, as loyal animals unable to bear their owner’s absence."
In text included in book Noah’s Ark
The project evolved for some years, until in the beginning of 2015, my friend Rui Costa, teaching Design in University of Aveiro, challenged me to fulfill it, proposing it to his graduating students. I accepted his challenge and eight groups of students candidated themselves to the project; oriented by their teacher and accompanied by myself, they developed eight different book projects. This book was made based on the proposal we chose from the beautiful eight objects developed in that process.
Fotografia do protótipo
About the author
Renato Roque was born in Oporto in 1952, where he lives. Has been involved since the eighties in a few photographic projects and has published a few photo and stories books.
Finished his dissertation on Multimedia in 2009 in FEUP (Engineering University from Oporto) with the photographic project called Matrix Mirrors, on human identity recognition, using photography portraits. This project has been presented by Joan Fontcuberta in his last book ‘La Camara de Pandora’
Main published books (photography and writing):
1992 – ‘Mirrors' (Espelhos) – poetry and photography;
1994 – ‘Dream arches' (Arcas de sonho) – short stories;
1997 - ‘Renato in Littlespotland' (Renato no País das Manchinhas) – novel and photography;
1998 – ‘Squareland' (Terra dos quadrados)– novel;
1999 – ‘His Time' (Hora sua), a photographic reflection about death with a selection of Portuguese poetry done by the Portuguese poet Regina Guimarães;
2001 – ‘Bodies of City' (Corpos de cidade) – photography essay on city ruins;
2003 –‘Memory Projections' (Projecções da memória), photography about memories of an old university building;
2003 – ‘D’ouro d’Alendouro’, photography and poetry about landscapes in north Portugal with Portuguese poet Jorge Sousa Braga;
2004 – ‘Silence Cathedrals' (Catedrais do Silêncio) photography project using photographs of an old factory in the north of Portugal;
2004 – ‘Solitary ballad' (Balada Solitaria) illustrating with photography a short text of Galician writer Fran Allonso;
2005 – ‘Time Glass' (Copo de Tempo) - short texts;
2007 – 'Luz de Papel' (Paper Light), photography with a group of poets from Porto;
2008 – '12pm' with Portuguese poet Jorge Sousa Braga.
2011 – 'The Snail' (O Caracol) - a short story for children illustrated by Sérgio Ribeiro
2012 – 'Fotografia e Curadoria - Queijo Curado é Outra Coisa', an essay on Contemporary Photography and Curatorship, published in collection REFLEX by THE PORTFOLIO PROJECT
2012 – Participates in book ‘Exuberâncias da Caixa Preta' published for the exhibition with same name, which was inspired in the book ‘The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals' by Charles Darwin.
2014 – ‘Near invisible’ (Do Quase Invisível), with photographer M.J. Pedra and poets Patrícia Lino and Regina Guimarães
2014 – ‘Quem tem tudo quer por força ter canudo’, a play inspires in Plautus
2015 – 'Fotografia e Beleza – Espelho meu, espelho meu, quem é mais belo do que eu? A collection of four essays on Photography and Beauty, to be published in collection REFLEX by THE PORTFOLIO PROJECT
