BE WATER 

In June, CreativeMornings Lisbon welcomed visual artist, lecturer and filmmaker Barbara Veiga to give a talk that was inspired by the month’s theme of #wilderness.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barbara has always had a close connection to nature. Already at the age of 14, she and her friends became activist, engaging with local issues in their community. By the time Barbara was 21, she left Brazil to start growing in activism on a larger scale.

Combining her passion for photography and her observational skills, has chronicled her journey around world in defence of the environment in her book, “Seven Years In Seven Seas”, writing about ocean crossings, overcoming challenges, human displacement, and activism.

In total, Barbara has travelled to 84 different countries on her journey - many of those with her sail boat named Papaya. While she has experienced different cultures, she says that there is something that connects all of us.

The question of how one can follow in her footsteps she answers by saying that we all have to listen to our own call. Whether it was spending time with and learning from the indigenous in the Amazon or documenting the killing of whales in Antarctica, we all have to find our own ways.

Text by Peter Schimke

Photos by Eglė Duleckytė