El proyecto viene explicado más abajo tanto en versión inglés como español.
This project plays tribute to a very specific kind of woman. The bata is a working dress that she wears.
I want to give her a voice.
She was the matriarch in a strongly patriarchal society. Raised to take care of their family, she rarely ever had the chance to even think about her own possible dreams. We talk about an unrepresented and unappreciated group.
I want to give her the homage that they deserve.
This type of woman is in danger of extinction, just as the bata is. In my culture, Europe, they are the last generation.
These photo sessions are a creative adventure where these women enter a state of playfulness without even realizing it. I take their portrait in their villages, inside their houses and places of work. They break their strong mental and time routines. They get transformed and they in turn transform their environment.
The bata is the point around which my study revolves. From there, I analyze gender issues, sociopolitical changes in society and human landscapes.
Humor is an important component in my work. It is the entry door to reach different levels of interpretation. I create sociological portraits.
This photo story is in its early stage. I am asking for your help to continue photographing. The collected money will cover the expenses for the different trips (transport, accommodation, photo assistant and other weird and unexpected things).
The trips will happen during the next year in different stages, at least five more stops in Spain. Each geographical spot will be chosen carefully and will become a unique chapter in the story.
If the raised funds are higher than the set goal, I will be able to expand the expedition towards other places in Europe, apart from Spain. The woman I am photographing is based in western societies where the women’s conditions have changed one or two generations ago.
I am an artist, a photographer. A researcher of the human condition. A performer.
I developed an approach to documentary photography called by me Antropología Fantástica (Magic Anthropology). It is a mixture between social science and artistic intervention. I photograph people and cultures with both dramatic and fantastical elements. It is a photo-event whereby the subjects interpret themselves and where I compose them in the space as if they were notes on a stave.
I consciously photograph since I was a child. The camera has been a tool for me to try to understand things. Until, one day, I discovered that I can also change things with it. That was the moment when it became really interesting.
My training in Architecture, Photography and Physical Theatre gave me the tools to see and express using my own language.
My work has been prized, exhibited and published internationally.
These women have been part of my childhood. Strength and affection are the qualities that define them. My generation have been raised by them. But we, modern women, changed our roles. Every step forward needs a look back to see what we are leaving behind and understand where we want to go.
Being able to build stories and translate them into images is what I love the most in life. To play and involve people in the process makes me happy. And I think it makes them happy too!!
It is a challenge to keep the inspiration up. To have open eyes and an open spirit, to be able to write the chapters of this photo story in a exciting way.
Costs for the trips, equipment and assistance are high. This is an independent project and I rely on this crowdfunding campaign. I invite you to be part of this expedition by backing it up.