The painting carriers of “En frontera”
For the route of On the Border — a painting project carried out along the 300 km of the French-Spanish border in the province of Girona — I spent 25 days making one work for each of the 198 boundary stones that mark the line. Painting in oils out in the field raised a very practical problem: the works took days to dry, so they could neither be stacked nor allowed to touch. With several pieces produced each day, a dedicated transport system became necessary.
The painting carriers are cases designed and 3D-printed by Patricio Rivera: two rigid panels that keep the painted surfaces apart while they dry, making it possible to stack and transport the works safely. To carry them more comfortably while walking, I designed a cover that grouped several cases into a single bundle.
Rather than hauling every painting made along the route, I set up four collection points distributed across the journey — the last one in La Vajol — where the cases were dropped off and picked up periodically. That way, on each stretch I only had to carry around forty paintings, which significantly reduced the weight and bulk of the backpack.
- On the Border, the project
- Are.na: En frontera