Bernardo Bagulho is an exceptional young Illustrator and designer from Évora, Portugal, a stone town between the capital, Lisbon, and Spain frontier. It’s usually a quiet place surrounded by nature and megalithic monuments — this has been an influence. He started making posters for the indie cinema sessions in my hometown and when he moved to Barcelona, Spain, to study he started to participate in collective publications with friends. Currently, he is a regular contributor for La Directa newspaper and La Maleta magazine in Barcelona and also self-publishing this kind of fanzines and books. His work is varied in media and 2 and 3 dimensions. I spoke to him about his 3D work, which fascinated me for its wit and skill.
What is your favorite project?
The project I’m must proud of was to be part of the creative team of the international biennial of puppets of Évora, I made all the illustrations and conceived communication for the public space for the city theater working and drawing live the traditional puppets from Évora.
What is the name of the book and where can it be purchased?
The book’s name is “Baggage”. It was self-published and there are no remaining copies at this moment. Right now I’m looking for a publisher to print an updated version with new sculptures and poems.
What were these images made for?
They started as a small exercise, but then I saw that a narrative was binding them together. They were telling a story about packing up before a big trip.
Do you often work with found objects?
Usually I work with stamps and paper-cuts. This project was to get away from the techniques I usually work with and to play with the objects I collected all over the years.
What do you plan on doing with the book of these artifacts?
I think I’m making a personal collection, a cabinet of curiosities. To look for what is the most important to take and to keep. To find my personal voice.
Is there any personal or symbolic significance?
Most of these works were born on paper from personal stories and conversations. The ones that I enjoyed the most to do where the ones who came out just from the play of binding two completely different objects together and then something new popped up.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on a public art project for Évora. The old town sidewalk is made of granite stone and it’s irregular in a way that sometimes it suggests drawn faces. My project is to make 13 stone sculptures of relatively known 13 faces of the town and to embed them on the sidewalk surface. It could be a funny route to know better the old town.
