How Street Art Can Transform a Place
The painted doors of Funchal (Madeira) hiding in plain sight.
Whenever I visit a new place, I take some time to lose myself on the streets (without using any maps) and look for street art. This is one of the most liberating feelings I’ve ever experienced when visiting a town. Portugal seems to be a very fine destination for such adventures: most of the street art photos I have taken during my trips are from Lisbon and, let me tell you this, some of them are so cool that I just had to print the images, frame them and have them displayed on the walls of my house.
I was recently on a trip to Madeira and I was quite impressed with many things: the wonderful vegetation, the weather, the really picturesque cliffs, the hiking trails and, of course, the street art. Even though Madeira is Portuguese land and I should’ve known better by now, I was simply not expecting to find street art there, nor did I look for it. So, thank God I accidentally stumbled upon it, as I would have found Funchal a lot less charming if I hadn’t.
The Painted Doors Project
If you have visited Madeira, you probably know that Funchal is its so-called capital. And if you haven’t, well, you know now. The historical centre is named “Zona Velha” (Old Town) and one of its streets (Rua de Santa Maria) is an outdoor art gallery of sorts. This cobbled street is one of the oldest in Funchal and it is lined with restaurant tables both on the left and on the right side. It is also wide enough for pedestrians only, so you can take some time and admire the doors and walls that are “the works of art on display” without being disturbed by cars.
Zona Velha de Funchal used to be where merchants lived, near the seaport that handled the island’s Atlantic trade. However, by the 21st century, the area had become very rundown. The Funchal Painted Doors Project was launched in 2010 and the street was turned into a public art space. Many local artists got the chance to show their talents thus and tourists can admire the results for free every day.
Zona Velha Today — A Continuous Work in Progress
One of the nice things about this area is that it is a continuous work in progress. New paintings seem to emerge all the time and if one thinks they’ve seen the final version of how this street is supposed to look, they are wrong. When checking the official website for this project, I was surprised to see that many of the art pieces listed there have disappeared and been replaced by other ones.
Another nice thing about this project would be the fact that there seem to be no rules about what can be painted on the doors and walls: from human faces, animals, trees, fruits, flowers, and mermaids to abstract images, so anyone will surely find something to strike their fancy. A few of the walls on the side streets and the parallel Rua Dom Carlos are also painted, so if you visit Funchal, make sure not to miss those either.
Some of My Favourite Doors
Some of the paintings are less interesting than others, but they still contribute to the overall embellishment of the street. A few deliver puns, others invite you to dream of utopian lands, some are really colourful and tend to be the first ones to catch the eye, while others simply strike you through the simplicity of their lines. Consider these in the context of some still dilapidated walls and you’ll get an idea of what a charming atmosphere this place can entertain.
The few photos I added to this article are my favourites and I have added them here hoping they will give you an idea of what’s on offer. If you want to see more examples of the art displayed on the walls of this street and more details about the artists who painted all the pieces, you can access the official site for this project here.
