The most courageous act a person can commit is to give themselves completely to someone else. To accept their traumas, pain and scars and allow themselves to be loved. But what is love? Love can be characterised and represented in many ways. One such representation is the famous lover's handkerchief. Women would offer a handkerchief with a message to their beloved, and if the feeling was mutual, he would wear the handkerchief in public as a sign of his love. These embroidered messages were the most intimate reproduction of what it means to love. Not only smiles, but also tears. The gift of the Valentine's handkerchief symbolises this surrender and also the pain and longing in the event of separation or death.

Developed by

Catarina Cruz

Scope

3rd year degree course

Organized by

Alexandra Moura
Ana Margarida Fernandes
Brígida Ribeiros
Carla Mileu
Carla Rodrigues
Cristina Almeida
Joana Góis
Júlia Freire
Magda Mendes
Olga Freixo
Paula Mercedes

Presentation

may 2025