Auto da Barca Efémero

‘Auto da Barca Efémero’ (Act of the Ephemeral Ship) is the title of an artwork by Portuguese illustrator/artist Ana Aragão. The artwork she created is in the form of a 'Biombo', a Japanese Nanban folding screen which serves as the physical and contextual support for an large intricate drawing – a contemporary reinterpretation of a large ship inspired by the Kurofune (an oversized black-hulled vessel) depicted on the Nanban screens.

The design of the exhibition (display) was an exercise in subtraction, of creating a space that allowed the artwork to be viewed in a singular and solitary fashion, undistracted by any superfluous visual elements. A circular black-lacquered plinth was designed – an allusion to both the lacquer of traditional Japanese screen and also to the Kurofune boat. The plinth allowed the artwork to be raised from the ground for protection and to as a means to draw attention to its presence. The final touch was lighting design, which because of the strong reflection of the gold of the screen, was a delicate task. In keeping with the singular focus of the overall design, a balance had to be obtained between keeping the room as dark as possible whilst lighting the artwork.

The catalogue, containing texts by various authors, had as its (literal) centrepiece a six panel pull-out section, acting as small scale print reproduction of the original artwork. The cover was printed in black on gold card and gold was also used as the English language text colour.

Other credits – Technical collaboration: João Cruz. Production: Luís Barbosa, Guarnição.