The Guardian. 2017. Bronze. 400 cm high. Monument to the World Surfing Reserve in Ericeira, Portugal. Bronze. Sculpture installed at the Ribeira d`Ilhas viewpoint, a symbol of our waves and the culture linked to surfing and nature. The Ericeira World Surfing Reserve is part of the municipality of Mafra, in Portugal. It extends along a coastal strip that concentrates seven world-class waves, in a space of just four kilometers. The Guardian sculpture evokes the need for an increasingly urgent awareness of the preservation of the planet. The Guardian symbolizes the protective spirit of the reserve, the seas and the planet. It promotes habits to better care for ourselves and our planet. Descriptive memory The Guardian is inspired by my father. A reference and an inspiration in his relationship with health and the sea. An example of a healthy, sustainable and intimate relationship with the ocean, with a deep respect for nature. This connection took place in Ericeira and its sea, and reached its peak when he would disappear swimming out to sea on rough sea days. It was a pleasure to watch him swim. I started this project over 30 years ago. The creative process went through metamorphoses and changes, shaped by experience, which served as an exercise for my aesthetic senses. The crusade around this spirit, in an attempt to portray his nature as an athlete and man of the sea, lasted for 30 years. The conception of the sculpture followed a guiding line supported by Darwin's theory, which argued that, in the evolution of species, they change over time to better adapt to the environment. I imagined this evolution in a futuristic figure, with a body transformed, adjusted and adapted to the aquatic environment, which allowed him this connection with the sea, where, under normal circumstances, he could not survive. I also hope to inspire us to be a better version of ourselves, with greater responsibility for the preservation of nature and individual health. "... Zecas Cardoso, man of this sea."