Art in the Hotel

Aimed at capturing the history of Portuguese railways, The Editory Collection Hotels invited photographer Jordi Llorella to portray some of Portugal's railway stations and platforms.

Jordi Llorella

Born on 24th November 1977 in Barcelona, the Catalan artist specialises in pinhole photography, a method that uses a lensless camera, in this case built by hand, in the form of a light-proof box.

During his journeys Jordi has visited some remote places, such as Palestine, Malaysia and Nagorno-Karabaj, and even went as far as settling in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest where he lived and worked in his studio for 7 years. Here he held multidisciplinary workshops related to subsistence economies. Although the artist is passionate about photography, he has also published several books, one being a Thai recipe book with Thai chef Yingsak from the same country.
Mission: Cardboard Bags

For several decades, Santa Apolónia was the only station from which travellers could depart the country, thus a key element in the history of emigration in Portugal. Jordi Llorella was invited to capture some of the more than 400 stations and platforms that make up Portugal's architectural heritage using asthenopia, the world's oldest photography technique.

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Luggage

Over the years, cardboard suitcases have become a symbol of emigration, as they were used by travellers to carry their belongings. Jordi restored some of these old suitcases, which became part and parcel of the project that aims to eternalise part of the social heritage of emigration by transforming them into cameras designed specifically for use in the pinhole photography technique in which he has become an expert.
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Torn Portraits

The collection of old, emigrant passport-type photographs tells us the story of the emigration of Portuguese to France because when illegally crossing the Pyrenean border (between Spain and France), it was customary to tear the portrait of the emigrant in half, one half for the trusted person on the Spanish side (along with the final payment to the smuggler) and the other half for the emigrant who would send it back to the trusted person once he was safely on the French side, as a sign that the smuggler’s fee could be settled.
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Stations at every Corner

Some of Jordi Llorella's pictures are found at the hotel, either in the common areas or in the rooms. The pictures seek to merge an image of rustic nature with the current state of several stations and platforms, which were once key in uniting the country's inhabitants. A book of the project with all the photos taken by the artist during the challenge is on display at the Impulso restaurant for you to see.
Discover Them!