Há Gente Na Via (Volume I) is the first in a collection of works exploring the universe of the Portuguese railways, drawing on an archive of photographs shot and compiled by artist Carla Filipe between 2005 and 2022. The title comes from rail terminology, a warning meaning “there are people on the track”, a phrase concerned with keeping the line free for train circulation and ruling out accidents or delays. Today, pedestrian access to the tracks is progressively restricted through a safety system of bridges, tunnels, and signage, reducing that possibility to a minimum. What was once a shared space has become increasingly closed off, and it is precisely this tension between access and restriction, presence and absence, that runs through Filipe’s photographic project. This first volume turns its attention to the carriages, wagons, and physical materiality of the trains themselves, offering a close and considered look into the world of CP – Comboios de Portugal. With texts by Ana Rute Faísca, Maria do Mar Fazenda, and Miguel von Hafe Pérez. Published by Pierre von Kleist, 2022.
An artist book conceived by Carla Filipe and designed by Carla Filipe and Nuno Maio.