Cork, a material extracted from the bark of the cork oak and observed under a microscope in 1665 by the English scientist Robert Hooke, is an extraordinary raw material due to its lightness, insulating power, and resistance, and it is used in many industries and in craftwork. Portugal produces more than half of the world’s supply. The extraction of cork from the tree takes place every nine years. It is manual work, done with an axe by highly specialized and sought-after workers, and it requires great skill and precision to avoid injuring the tree.
I have some cork oak trees on my property in Ribatejo. The cork was removed from the trees last year. The trunks are still almost smooth and reddish brown. On a beautiful late afternoon last summer, with a clear sky and intense sunshine, I marvelled at the play of light and shadow among the cork oaks. The use of monochromatic infrared photography, which converts the blues of the sky into dark greys and the greens of the plants into whitish tones, intensified the beauty and drama of the scene. Using a small lens aperture, I got all the planes in focus.
