Photographing building facades throughout my travels in Portugal has been a passion project of mine for years.  This study inspired me to learn more about Portugal’s architecture. 

I later learned that these tiles were used as adornment for the severe military-styled buildings constructed after a series of natural disasters leveled most of Lisbon. 

After visiting a local tile atelier in the Alfama district in Lisbon, Portugal, I had the opportunity to meet an artist who works to preserve and restore the beloved Portuguese Azulejos tiles.  The Azulejos are disappearing throughout Portugal due to construction, neglect, theft and vandalism. In 2007 the group SOS Azulejo was formed and works with local authorities to stop the illegal sale and distribution of Portuguese tiles.  With recent laws put into place, tiles are more protected from demolition and renovation.

Equipped with this knowledge, I began an ambitious project of creating 4”x4” paper ‘tiles’ redolent of 19th century mass produced Azulejos. This ongoing study, titled “Empty Spaces” is a story of gentrification and loss of identity.  Each panel can be removed, underscoring this notion of ‘lifting’ a piece of cultural significance.