Sardines

Being a bigwig of the Lisbon nobility of the 18th century, he has exquisite taste and language ticks, like “Oh la la!” or “Et, voilá!”, which he is always applying. He organizes the “Salon Musical et Littéraire”, receiving guests while reclined on a bed from the previous century, at the Chambre Bleu of his palace in Belém. Designer: Isabel Colher

How long has it been since you last mailed a letter? This Sardine evokes the nostalgia of a gesture that we’re losing nowadays, while highlighting the importance of perpetuating our traditions. Designer: Ana Sofia Gonçalves

This Sardine was born from predominant topics in the news, such as the economic crisis and emigration. An analogy with airmail envelopes and messages that emigrants use to send to their families. The image on the back is from the transport network of Bordeaux, where I hoped that had the chance to stay and pursue my career. Designer: Ana Miranda

The Sardine belongs to the PEOPLE.... As do the memories of our History. In 2012, the Sardine aged and told a story about a feat accomplished with the sails of the Cross of Christ, the Heroes of the Air. Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho greatly contributed to the History of aviation when crossing the South Atlantic by air in 1922. Designer: Miguel Amaral

It was just an anonymous and pale Sardine. It sought colour and participated in the “Festas de Lisboa” (Lisbon Festivities). As the event’s icon, it deserved a monumental illustration. So, I tried to create a symbiosis between the sardine and the Santa Justa Elevator. The Santa Justa Sardine, once anonymous and pale, now parades in colour and tradition. Designer: Frederico Lencastre

The sardine, with its silvery blue and black hues, darker on the back and lighter on the sides and belly, is found in the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, where it dwells on coastal areas, between 25 and 100 meters deep. It undertakes migrations in large shoals that protect fish from predators during the day, in deeper waters, and move at night-time to shallower waters to feed on algae and small crustaceans. It reproduces from October to April, a time when sardines are leaner and not so tasty. The sardine is the most popular fish in summer festivals and fairs in Portugal, as well as the main species used in the Portuguese canning industry.

The Tagus Sardine has the best view of Lisbon. From the river she sees the people, the roofs and the Castle; she sees the bridge and the boats, and the departures and returns that make the city live. She is a lucky Sardine – and, as Amália used to say, She has water, she knows how to swim / I wish I were a sardine. Designer: Sofia Fischer

The Tenório Sardine is a true portent of the Portuguese guitar. Known in the most exclusive world of Fado for being a bon vivant, irresistibly seductive and a confessed lover of the nightlife and “escabeche” (pickle), Tenório oozes charm through all of his scales. And no gilt-head bream, mullet or ray can resist his charms. Designer: Paulo Galindro

Designers: Ana Gomes and Isabel Colher

Designer: Paulo Galindro

Because it is of the Portuguese, father of broad seas, to want, to be able to simply:be nothing. And be someone in a sea of people. Be a person. Flood. Dry out. Cry. Float. Come up and dive in again. Be fished. Be gutted and survive: the whole sea, or the empty destroyed waterfront – The whole, or its nothing (In D. João Infante de Portugal, Message, Fernando Pessoa). Designer: Maria Miguel

The High Tide Sardine is an allusion to deep sea fishing, symbolizing both the lull and the storm that diminishes us. The whole of the sea inside of a sardine. Designer: Filipa Oliveira