vrijdag 4 juli

chat with Sonia Almeida

-And Baby…? Forgot name.
-Daniel, all fine.
-One year? No, should be older by now.
-10 months, big boy. How’s crox?
-Oh well, it’s holidays. Had loads of projects.
-Yes, that’s right.
-What about Lisbon actually?
-Very good. Have been working hard in the studio. My father takes care of Daniel during the day.
-You have a studio.
-Yes, more a garage studio.
-What’s your friend/husband doing?
(…for two cars. So, it’s big.)
-Oh, yeah, right, a garage.
-Nuno is in Boston. He spends one month in Lisbon, one month in Boston. But we are planning to move on the first of October.
-I was talking about you and Nuno and Daniel with Lucia. She hadn’t heard from you for a while. She even didn’t know that you had a baby.
(Move on… to… Boston?)
-I emailed her once, didn’t hear back, maybe she didn’t get it.
(Yes.) Tell me Lucia’s email again.
-Your project is May-June 2009. Is that ok?
-That’s great. I need to plan in september which paintings do I keep in Lisbon.
-I programmed a bit too much for that period but HAP accepted to do summer. HAP is a collective of three artists. So you and Jan Dheedene (local painter) would be fifth period.
(You mean, the ones meant for crox?)
-I don’t want to take stuff to Boston and then have to ship them back.
(Cool.) I don’t know maybe I end up doing other stuff in Boston.
-That’s up to you.
-Just thinking loud.
(Ok.)
-Fedex and all that is quite expensive though.
-Exactly my point.
-But it’s often more expensive from one city in Europe to other city then from one city in America to city in Europe.
-Really? That’s weird.
-Yes, I agree, It’s weird. But loads of things are. We could check though, that’s not that much trouble.
-Yes, like my laptop’s battery running down and have no idea where the cable is.
-Somewhere in Lisbon, I guess.
-Hopefully. Maria Glyka is pregnant… with TWINS.
-Greec pregnant or London pregnant? Forgive me to be so curious.
-She is in Greece, she lives in Athens now. Last time I saw her was on a show in London.
-That’s fine. Northern cities turn out to be depressing.
(I knew about that show.)
-Yes, tell me about it… also births don’t go that well in England.
-Births?
-Daniel’s birth was hell.
-Why the hell Britain is going to hell.
-Stupid English midwives and nurses.
-Oh jee, it was, was it. British nursery.
-Yes, that’s why we left. Not sure if US is much better.
-Constipated people.
-But not thinking about more babys for the moment.
-Fuck hell, not sure if US is much better.
-I know, bit scary.
-Yeah, but my information or at least the information I got, which is identical actually, is that Boston is ok.
-Are you planning any us trip?
-It’s quite British though.
(No, not really.)
-Could come to Boston in the fall. What about London?
-What? Me and London? Kidding.
-Not a good match?
-I like London and I like Paris too and I like Madrid and I like Barcelona.
-Come to Lisbon. Not so great for art, but for the art of living and feeling.
-I’ve been to Porto, once, and to Aveiro and Coimbra. Missed Lisbon because of some stupid quarrel with the lady that drove the car. Yeah, Lisbon, that’s an idea.
-It’s too hot now. But the sun shines and everybody is happy. Porto is really nice. Better art than Lisbon.
-Lived in Màlaga. And it was goddamn hot there too.
-Yep, it’s great to live here, but it’s terrible to work.
-I remember eating almejas near the sea.
-People work long hours, don’t earn much and don’t have any time left to enjoy. I’m living 10 min from the beach.
-That’s what I think about south of Europe myself. If I wouldn’t be fixed on working here, I would move to Southern Europe, Spain or Portugal, my favorites. Or Southern France, that’s okay too. So swim a lot.
-Sun and sea are the best couple. Boston is pretty hot, but humid. So it’s going to be sticky in the summer.
-Where exactly do you live in Lisbon, north or south or west or east? West? Near el Tajo? (Yeah, Boston. True. And pretty cold during winter.)
-Near Oerias, it’s just outside Lisbon, where the river meets the sea, on the north part. Tejo yes.
-Ah, right. But that’s practically spoken center of Lisbon. Practically spoken.
-Well, not really. 20 min on the train.
-Loads of negroes.
-I’m running down quickly, send me Lucia’s email…
(Yes, from the ex colonies.) I’m going to email her with a pict of Daniel.
-Adios.
-Adeus, ate breve.