"Dialectical Contemporaneity" at the University of Porto

Art Projects Reflecting on Historical Cartography through Personal Narratives

Abstract

Georges Didi-Huberman (2013) distinguishes between archives and atlases, arguing that transforming archives into atlases allows for a more complex understanding of history. Inspired by Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne, which juxtaposes images across time and context, Didi-Huberman challenges traditional power structures and reinterprets the atlas beyond its mythological burden. Drawing from Claire Bishop’s (2013) concept of "dialectical contemporaneity," I develop art projects using the University of Porto’s historical collection. As a printmaker, I research historical maps to explore the atlas as a cartographic metaphor, creating two installations based on the University’s terrestrial and celestial globes. These installations, composed of printed metal-work resembling flattened globe sections, reflect personal histories: one references the Portuguese Colonial Wars in Lusophone Africa, where my father served; the other addresses my grandmother’s experiences of early 20th-century Portuguese poverty.

Aligned with Claire Bishop’s (2013) concept of "dialectical contemporaneity," I developed art projects based on the University of Porto’s historical collection. My intention is to transform archives into atlases through my personal perspectives. As a printmaker, I researched historical maps to explore the atlas as a cartographic metaphor, creating two installations based on two large globes from the University: a terrestrial and a celestial globe. The installations involve metalwork with prints, cut to create a planar surface of a sphere. One installation explores the atlas as a metaphor for war, referencing the Colonial War in Africa during the 1970s, to which my father was sent to in his 20s. The other focuses on my grandmother, who lived in early 20th-century Portugal, and the poverty she endured. These installations will be presented in the University of Porto’s historical archives in the fall of 2024.