Attempting to Authenticate

I am currently working on a project that I did last August as part of an artistic residency called “No Ritmo do Lugar” (In the Rhythm of the Place) in Elvas - south of Portugal. In addition to the challenge of photographing in unknown territory that I have no memory of, it was enriching to work around the theme of the “Border” in a free and comprehensive way.

Elvas borders Spain and its natural border is the Guadiana River. The “Ponte da Ajuda” bridge was built in 1501 and due to floods and several attacks, was destroyed and has not been used since 1709, and has been a kind of ruin ever since.

I have always found it interesting how humanity manages to overcome borders through, for example, the construction of bridges, but on the other hand, in the event of war, bridges are always the first targets.

My proposal had this bridge as a starting point. To use the bridge as a laboratory and experiment with different approaches, different cameras, supports, formats, etc. The bridge, once again, does not interest me as a monument and/or a closed theme. But rather to orbit around this point and photograph inside and around the border.

During those days I was fascinated by the sculptural potential of these margins, playing with scale and the different attempts to create atmospheres during my long walks.

It was only after a few days that I noticed that the time on my phone was constantly fluctuating by 1 hour. Between Portuguese and Spanish time (+1). On one of those occasions, I noticed a pop-up message that said “attempting to authenticate”. I found it a good metaphor for what my experience in that residency was like.

Bruno Silva is part of »Guest Room: Tina Campt & Keisha Scarville«.

Check out his Artist Feature Ermo.