“We consume too much, recycle too little, invest too little in energy transition,” he said. “We are increasingly distanced from nature, and this is reflected in the lack of respect and empathy we have for other species — flora and fauna. Human beings, as just one of the thousands of species that inhabit this planet, behave in ways that jeopardize the survival of all others. No other animal has such a negative impact on nature. We urgently need to change this.”
‘Plastic Rooster’ was created together with local landfill management departments and Metal Fabrication students from the Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech.
“There’s a whole process behind this: building the structure, selecting the materials,” Bordalo II said. “All this is done beforehand by the local team. We have a list of materials that we send them, and they look for and gather everything we need so that on the day I arrive with the team we can have the color palette, so to speak, ready to go.”
But there’s always room for improvisation and the New Bedford sculpture is no exception. Bordalo II and the two members of his team he brought along with him – João Carvalho and João Sobral – made some things up as the rooster took shape.
“The greater the diversity of things we have, the more freedom there is to create, to invent,” Bordalo II said. “The creative process is free. We start from a base and have an objective, but there’s always at least 20 to 30 percent of invention, free style, and improvisation.”
Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech built the supporting structure with iron and covered it with wood, using all the specifications provided by Bordalo’s team.
“They did the skeleton and muscles. The plastic is the skin,” he said. “The structure is great. It looks like my team did it at home. So, it’s perfect.”
Highlighting social justice issues with thought-provoking art
Bordalo II has been experimenting with several other mediums.
“Wood, stone, glass, ceramics,” he said. “We’re doing lots of tests with lots of different things. We’ve created a lot of pieces.”
In addition to ‘The Big Trash Animals,’ Bordalo II has created dozens of pieces for a series titled ‘Provocative,’ where he interacts with urban fabric and furniture, presenting a new critical look at society, its stakeholders, and constraints.
Last year, when Lisbon was preparing to welcome Pope Francis for World Youth Day, he protested the exorbitant cost of the event (close to $200 million) by breaking into Parque do Tejo where the Pope would be giving a Mass and rolled out a pink ‘Walk of Shame’ carpet of oversized 500 euro bills.
“They’re always pieces that aim to criticize, to draw attention to,” Bordalo II said. “They touch on more points, not just ecology and fauna but the whole social aspect – racism, machismo, the lack of tolerance, the lack of empathy between people. I tackle all the evil themes a little bit, with sarcasm, with fun. It’s my favorite series.”
In his youth, Bordalo II experimented with illegal graffiti in the underworld of Lisbon. He acknowledges that some of his boldness and audacity comes from that time.
“It shaped the way I am,” he said. “As artists, or as someone who has visibility, we have some social responsibility. Becoming famous and successful isn’t about buying an expensive car, dressing well and being a turkey. For me it’s the opposite. I don’t care about these materialist things. I care if I have an active voice and can be part of making a difference that I think is relevant. So, it’s a social responsibility for me and one that I really enjoy.”
After New Bedford, Bordalo II and his team are headed to São Paulo, Brazil, to create another Big Trash Animal sculpture and mural.
A conversation with Bordalo II
Lindsay Mis, executive director of DATMA, said Bordalo’s work creates messages that resonate with the ongoing efforts to assert New Bedford as a leader in green energy and wind energy.
“It’s the right time to have an artist like this and it’s a good message,” she said.
On Friday, June 14, Bordalo II will be on hand to talk about his creative process at an event titled Diálogo & Café, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the DeMello International Center, 128 Union St., New Bedford.
The event will include a conversation about public art between Bordalo II and Michael Benevides, the founder of FABRIC Arts Festival and co-owner at Portugalia Marketplace.
“Mike is really in touch with the community and street art scene,” said Mis. “We felt that with all he has done with the FABRIC Arts Festival and the community, he would be ideal for this and could even add to the context.”
Bordalo II and Benevides will be joined by Sarah Jane Mulvey, New Bedford’s Poet Laureate, who will continue the tradition of reading a new piece to start the “TRANSFORM: Reduce, Revive, Reimagine” season, as well as a performance by members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.
A curator-led walking tour of DATMA’s newest public art exhibition in historic downtown New Bedford will follow.
For more information about Bordalo II’s work, visit www.bordaloii.com
