ReislandiaEduardo Reis (b. 1932)

On his homesite located on the side of the road west of Trofa in northeastern Portugal, Eduardo Reis is erecting an assemblage of extensive and elaborate creations as a memorial to his son and to honor what he calls humanism, as he believes that humanity’s resistance to caring for the earth and for each other will ultimately lead to the destruction of the world. The site was birthed in tragedy, beginning around 1997, when the ex-lover of his son shot him as well as herself in a tragic murder-suicide. The misery caused by this heartbreak caused Reis to lose his faith in religion, and his spiritualism passed, instead, to a belief in nature. At that time he decided to dedicate his life to defending nature and humanism as he simultaneously memorialized his son, whose death he felt as if it were his own.

Filled with humanist symbols and explanatory texts as well as birds, animals (particularly monkeys), figures – representative of real people, including the author, as well as those of folk tale and legend, including angels and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Reis’s hope is that this work will inspire visitors to dedicate themselves toward the cause of peace. With a background in iron forging, he has fabricated all of the metal work himself. He has said that he will continue to build as long as he is able, and has several specific projects that he would like to complete, including a two-meter-high dinosaur. Among the most pleasing images to passersby is a high bridge on which several monkeys climb, moving back and forth from their Paradise Tarzan Home. Other monkeys walk the high wire, hold fishing rods out into the air, or survey the scene from the rooftop of Reis’s home. A monumental seated camel and a huge anchor are other major elements of the site.

Cut-out photographic images of the author appear in several areas of the environment, including one that is mounted on the balcony of the Tarzan Home. There is also a more standard stone pedestal monument upon which is placed a bust of the artist; into the stone pedestal is engraved a description of the artist that might, one day, become his tombstone:

                  EDUARDO REIS 1932 – 20 [death date left blank]

                  LIVRE PENSADOR [FREE THINKER]

                  CIDADĀO DO MUNDO [CITIZEN OF THE WORLD]

                  FILOSOFO ECLECTICO [ECLECTIC PHILOSOPHER]

                  AGNOSTICO HUMANISTA [AGNOSTIC HUMANIST]

While much of the site is visible from the road, the artist occasionally will open it to the public on special days, and, with luck, he may also open it for individual visitors.

~Jo Farb Hernández, 2016

Jo Farb Hernández

1929 Rua 16 de Maio
Trofa, Porto, 4785 pt
Latitude/Longitude: 41.3370936 / -8.5893157

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