A Poetic Geography of Memory, 2010
In this text, Berna Valada reflects on My Integration Documents: A Poetic Geography of Memory, a project by Jorge da Cruz developed after his move from Lisbon to Berlin. Using photography, instant cameras, and paper works, the project explores memory, migration, and the emotional landscape of living between places. The imperfect textures of Lomo and Diana cameras echo the fragility of recollection. Rather than documenting events, the images function as fragments of experience—notes on belonging, distance, and the quiet pressure of political and personal histories shaping contemporary life.
My Integration Documents — Text by Berna Valada on the Work of Jorge da Cruz
In this text, Lisbon-based writer Berna Valada reflects on My Integration Documents: A Poetic Geography of Memory, a project by Jorge da Cruz developed after his move from Lisbon to Berlin. Combining photography, instant cameras, and paper works, the series explores memory, migration, and the emotional landscape of living between places. Through imperfect images and fragments of observation, the work forms a visual essay on belonging and distance. Valada reads the project as a poetic geography where personal memory and contemporary political tensions quietly shape the artist’s perception of place.