Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto, through MMIPO – the Museum and Church of Misericórdia do Porto, will inaugurate on 4 December 2025, at 4 p.m., the art installation “The Star of the Mountain”, a creation by the Value of Time Group in collaboration with CINDOR, marking the start of the venue’s Christmas programme.

More than a Christmas tree, “The Star of the Mountain” is a silent manifesto that summons Serra da Estrela as a living territory and restores centrality to the shepherds, guardians of a cycle that begins in the flock and unfolds into the material shaped by hands with rigour and time.

Inspired by the wool of the Serra da Estrela sheep and by Arraiolos tapestry stitching, the installation is built beneath a metal pergola where seven suspended layers of coloured yarn balls form a three-dimensional composition. The colours evoke the mountain in its raw state: damp moss, exposed granite, biting cold, the fire that endures. As observers move around it, the structure reconfigures itself and reveals a tree that fully exists only in motion. This work does not romanticise: it unveils a narrative that does not embellish but confronts. And it inscribes Christmas in a deeper place, where celebration becomes awareness.

Founded in 1994 and based in Seia, the Value of Time Group develops a social-economy model centred on the beginning of the value chain, prioritising handmade products and the appreciation of artisanal crafts. Its approach is grounded in fair remuneration for those at the origin of production, contributing to the economic sustainability of traditional professions at risk. Within this framework, CINDOR, responsible for the design of “The Star of the Mountain”, maintains a collaboration protocol with the Group O Valor do Tempo dedicated to the appreciation of Portuguese jewellery. Under this protocol, a training space was provided on Rua das Flores, in the centre of Porto, strengthening the connection between creation, technical qualification and the transmission of knowledge of another national jewellery art: Filigree. This collaboration reinforces the coherence between the Group’s philosophy and the concept of the installation, which seeks to highlight the role of the Serra da Estrela shepherds and wool as a structuring element of the productive chain.

The inauguration is open to the public, with free admission, marking the beginning of MMIPO’s Christmas programme, which throughout December will offer exhibitions, concerts, workshops and activities for diverse audiences. The installation will remain on display in the Benefactors’ Gallery until 11 January 2026 and may be visited daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.