Portrait of Christina Knight

The region of south-west Alentejo is in many ways a magnet for those who are looking to life an alternative life. Whether that is living out of a van and surfing all day, or sleeping in a yurt somewhere deep in a valley and living off the land — you are bound to find many interesting characters in this part of Europe. Christina Knight is someone who would fall into this category. Originally from Canada, her purpose for being here stems from a passion from permaculture and organic gardening. This is what brought her to the project known as A Quinta da Lage, where she was taking care of the garden for many months.

“We talk about the natural world as if we are not a part of the natural world.”

The millenial generation is one which is highly polarised. It seems that the mass of younger people today can be broadly divided into two categories. One believes that a path of technology and consumerism can be the answer to our global problems, and the other believes that the answer is to step away from technology, to learn from nature and to deconstruct the complexities of our modern existence as the way forward. Of course, no one falls absolutely into one category or another, but there is a certain tension that is mounting from our global society being at form of metaphorical crossroad. Christina’s monologue poses an important question — how do we face our own moral contradictions in a world that is on the brink of environmental catastrophe?

“I really like to have these small connections with the Earth.”

A core essence of Christina’s philosophy points to the fact that a healthy future can never be found through perfectionism or moral elitism. We are all on a journey to better understanding ourselves and our place in the world, sifting through the muck that many generations of confused humans have created. It requires small steps. Something as simple as creating a garden and beginning to plant seeds in the soil can have profound ripple effects, both on ourselves and others.

“Growing your own food is such a simple, amazing pleasure that so few people get to experience.”

Watch the video:

Directed by Marco Sukop
Original Music by Christina Knight

Photography by Marco Sukop & Nicolas Denis
Writing by Adrian Howell
Produced by Studio Collectif.