Le Spectateur Éternel

The film Le spectateur éternel, the latest made by Rui Calçada Bastos, almost functions like a survey of his work up until now. As in the words of Sérgio Fazenda Rodrigues, he is a “wanderer and his work [draws inspiration] from what he perceives on his travels.” Having always been on the move, this video portrays the moment in which the artist finally decides to stay at home and venturing on a journey within the confines of his bedroom. We never see the wandering inhabitant, but the lens of the camera shows us that his eyes take delight in the view of the room, the armchair, the reflections of the sun on the walls. We only see him venturing to the window occasionally to contemplate the fleeting shadows cast by passing airplanes over the facades of the neighbouring houses, a sort of travel that he has left behind.