artisans

Mostly located between Porto and Minho, the craft workshops I have had the opportunity to visit and document, together with Matilde Viegas, are unique places, with ingenious tools developed by the craftspeople themselves.


  • Matosinhos
    enamel pieces

“The factories that existed in Porto were closing at the time. They used to manufacture kitchen utensils, bathtubs, traffic signs, door number plates, and street nameplates (...) People called us crazy because we were opening up when all the others were shutting down.”
Read the interview here


  • Barcelos
    traditional basketry

“I have canes at home that weigh 30-40 kilos each. And then, I also make baskets like that one. Just with one cane, I can make ten or twelve baskets during the wintertime.”
Read the interview here


  • Porto
    brush making

“That's why we took this type of skillfull work and started to give it a different look. Meanwhile, about two years ago my son started to work with us, so I am the third generation if you can say that and my son, therefore, the fourth generation.”
Read the interview here


  • Braga
    wicker basketry

A couple dedicated to basketry, and to each other.
Read the interview here


  • Fafe
    traditional straw braiding

Sewing hats and baskets from local rye straw in her eighties, with love and dedication.
Read the interview here


  • Porto
    specialized woodwork

“But we lost so much... we used to have the old carpenters who made the waxes themselves and the infusions, and that kind of knowledge was lost.”
Read the interview here

Photos by Matilde Viegas
Video/Sound by Mafalda Salgueiro