Details: For the fourth and final event of the first edition of WOOL we set out to make an action for the global project INSIDE OUT PROJECT by the French artist JR. The story that “we set out to tell” was the one of the former workers and entrepreneurs of the almost extinct textile industry and from a population of almost 8,000 individuals with these roles only a few decades ago, from contacts with institutions and professional associations in the area, only 44 people were available to be portrayed.
This observation increased our interest "in this story" and in addition to a simple photograph shot, we interviewed the 44 workers and entrepreneurs, aged between 34 and 92 years, "recording" (for four long months) how was their work and the way of living in the glory days of "the Portuguese Manchester".
The D-Day of the IOP action, the collage of the portraits on a facade of one of the many abandoned factories of the city, was held in real celebratory atmosphere with the reunion of workers, employees and employers with smiles and some tears, a true exaltation of the local identity.
Biography: the global project INSIDE OUT PROJECT (IOP) , by the French artist JR, intends to discover, collect and share hidden stories through the world by using enlarged black and white portraits.