The Scent of Childhood

When Angolan architect and curtor Paula Nascimento thinks about her home country, the unique smell, texture and color of the red sand which abounds there immediately comes to  her mind.

As Paula notes, sand takes on different forms as it is exposed the the elements, particulary water.  ''When it's dry, the sand is brownish. But when it rains, it becomes deep red and starts to smell... a strong smell, the smell of nostalgia, the scent of my childhood.''

As Paula says,  "for anyone who has lived in Luanda most their life...This red sand is so characteristic it is visible from the air and from the ground."

For her work The Color of Memory Paula set about experimenting with her precious red sand in an attempt to bring to life the particular African smell of rain falling on dry sand. "The first step consisted of finding the sand, digging to the reddish tone possible, within the constraints of movement within the city. As well as digging, I tried to find small references in the color palettes of paintings, in texts, in any media possible."

As Paula explains "The experiments were an attempt to re-awaken the smell of rain that is expelled from the earth, that is characteristic of my childhood... The smell guided the choice of color." 

"There were some challenges: the lack of direct sunlight (sunlight is a significant factor in the process), the pH of the water that was very different from the rainwater. We managed to alter the pH of water and got better results."

Paula explains "The three experiments were similar, the color obtained is not quite the deep red from memory, but it is close. I tried to mould a small brick with this sand, but it always cracked. The sand and these cracks are make are both part  of the work. 

"It means...to descend from and have an affective relation with a vast and complex and extremely diverse continent; it is to be simultaneously individual and to be part of a whole, to understand that we are all part of constructing our own future."