🕳️ Released Phantom Node 30: António Salazar. Perfect Submission

This project is a philosophical and artistic study of the phenomenon of "phantom nodes" — invisible yet influential objects and subjects in the contemporary global system. The descriptions contained within this study are metaphorical and allegorical, aimed at uncovering systemic problems, regimes, and civilisational influences. They are not a journalistic investigation or legal accusations, but serve as an artistic interpretation of reality.

This creation is protected and cannot be used by third parties for the purpose of supporting, propagating, or legitimizing criminal regimes, terrorist states, and organizations operating in the shadows. The use of data or analysis results from this project, whether in part or in full, is expressly prohibited if the objective is to support or conceal their criminal activity. 

The project may be freely used by individuals and organizations that combat evil, corruption, and aggression.

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🕳️ Released Phantom Node 30: António Salazar. Perfect Submission

He promised harmony — but left a frozen society where obedience was the only virtue.

Who is this?

Salazar created the Estado Novo — an autocratic system where religion, discipline, and silence became tools of control. He spoke in God's name but never heard the people.

Node Type:

Authoritarian theocratic state

Condition:

Frozen stability

Mechanism of Hold:

Corporatism + religious ideology + secret police (PIDE) + isolationism

Image:

Phantom-Salazar stands atop a pulpit, resembling a church sermon platform. He speaks from above. Below him, the people are motionless. Behind — a "PIDE" sign, a colonial map, and the Latin phrase Fiat voluntas tua.

Instead of the Phantom:

A deeply ingrained habit of obedience. Fear of disturbing the imposed "order."

Core of the Node

What held it together?

Total control over professions via "corporations"

Glorification of the rural as the "true Portugal"

Censorship, informants, arrests without trial

A forced cult of “divine order” and national submission

How did it become a phantom?

After the regime fell, no one admitted complicity

Generations raised to avoid initiative

Freedom arrived hand in hand with disorientation

Why does the phantom persist?

Official restraint still hinders open discourse

Older generations recall the "golden era" as peaceful

The phantom of a “perfect Catholic order” survives in cultural memory

Current phantom state:

Dormant yet present in the collective subconscious. Reappears whenever there is a temptation to exchange liberty for silence.

After the regime:

Colonial wars dragged Portugal into further isolation

The Carnation Revolution broke the illusion — and opened a wound

Democracy had to grow from centuries of suppression

Collective Reaction

Obedience is not always a virtue.

We learned not to speak —

now we must learn to live in dialogue.

Core Principle

Silence wrapped in faith

is a convenient form of power.

True order exists

only where doubt is allowed.

Alt-text:

Graphite-style sepia drawing of António Salazar standing on a pulpit, resembling a church speaker’s platform. Behind him is a colonial map and a Latin inscription "Fiat voluntas tua". To his left, a sign reads "PIDE". Below him stands a still, voiceless crowd with solemn expressions. His face appears stern and distant.

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Unmasking the Phantom. Pivtorak.Studio. 29.07.2025

https://www.instagram.com/pivtorak.studio

🛡️ This project is an artistic and philosophical exploration. 

All descriptions are allegorical in nature.

🫧 Phantom Node Dossier: António Salazar. Ideal Subservience.

Key Aspects of the Phantom:

"Ideal Subservience" (or "The Ghost of Totalitarianism"). António Salazar is a phantom node that symbolizes a regime where all of life—from the economy to ideology—was subordinated to a central, invisible power. His phantom essence lies in the fact that, although his rule ended, his ideology and methods of control continue to exist as an example and a source of inspiration for modern authoritarian systems. He embodies not just power, but the complete submission of society and its depersonalization in the interests of the state.

Regimes (which he directly shapes/supports):

👻 Regime of "Phantom Power": Rule not by overt force, but by a constant sense of hidden control and surveillance.

🔐 Regime of "Total Control": A system where political dissent is eliminated through pervasive censorship and a secret police.

🤫 Regime of "Silencing": The creation of an atmosphere where public criticism is absent, and truth is systematically hidden or replaced by propaganda.

👤 Regime of "Depersonalization": The degradation of individual identity and the removal of personal rights in favor of blind loyalty.

Tools (which he actively uses/oversees):

📝 Political Police (PIDE): The secret police that was the main tool for terror and the persecution of opponents.

🗣️ Censorship and Propaganda: Complete control over media and information flows to shape public consciousness.

📖 Cult of Personality: The creation of an idealized, wise, and infallible leader image that eliminates the need for critical thinking.

🏛️ Institutional Imitation: The formal existence of a "parliament" and "elections" that in reality had no true power, merely imitating democracy.

Civilizational Influences (which he embodies/exploits)

⚖️ Destruction of Rights: He is the archetype of the systematic destruction of fundamental human rights and the transformation of the state into a prison for its own people.

🧠 Devaluation of Reason: His regime emphasized the value of obedience and faith over rational thought and independent opinion.

💀 Degradation of the Political System: He embodies the transformation of the state from a service for the people into an instrument of repression and control.

💔 Rejection of the Future: His rule symbolizes political stagnation, where development is blocked for the sake of preserving the existing order.

Dissection of a Phantom Node. Pivtorak.Studio. 29.07.2025

https://www.instagram.com/pivtorak.studio

🛡️ This project is an artistic and philosophical exploration.

All descriptions are allegorical in nature.