Abstract of the accomplished photographic work
This project investigates the extraction of ornamental stones in Brazil by tracing its largest marble and granite reserves. Traveling through Espírito Santo—a small state responsible for making Brazil a leading global exporter—I examine how this mountainous region is being reshaped by local and international architecture markets. While extraction began in the 1950s, real growth came in the 1970s when local industries started to import Italian technology, machinery and expertise, modernizing production and boosting exports. The visual construction of this photographic work intends to discuss how geology can shape the economy of a territory, caught between vernacular extraction practices and a highly advanced global industry that is radically changing this rural landscape. By exposing the massive waste result of architecture’s strict material standards, this work highlights the environmental impact and the emergence of a residual landscape, largely unknown to Brazilian architects.
Description of the project you intend to pursue through the Prize
I propose to expand my research on ornamental stones in Brazil to a new territory where Espírito Santo’s companies are advancing: Espinhaço, a striking quartzite range in Minas Gerais and Bahia. Once an ancient migration route and home to many archaeological sites, it is now sought after for “exotic stones”, fueling a luxury architecture market. As an architect, I will examine this mineral landscape both as our ancestral dwellings and as source material for contemporary cities. Through a road trip with my medium format camera, I will document quartzite quarries and rock shelters with prehistoric art, revealing a territory in dispute over its memory and future—and the complicity of architecture in shaping modern habitats while erasing ancestral ones. By framing archaeology in the present, my purpose is for it to be a defense against the continuous colonial project over our landscape and our Indigenous history. The book will be a visual diary guided by photographs, maps, and travel notes.