14-MAY-2014
Steam heat, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Boliva, 2014
At this factory, they make hats with the help of noisy and potentially hazardous machinery, reminding me of the factories of centuries past. I moved in on this old copper boiler, wreathed in steam, to stress both the nature of the material itself and its function – to provide heat and steam as needed to make hats. I combine indications of the age, function, and beauty of this boiler to interpret the nature of a very simple but necessary machine.
14-MAY-2014
Gathering Wool, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This woman spends her days sorting and packing wool that will eventually find its way into large felt hats sold throughout Bolivia and surrounding countries. Speaking to me through a translator, she described the weighty demands of her job. As she speaks, I used a wideangle lens to relate her to her surroundings. The colorful bags of wool in the background make her work almost seem festive. It is not. It is repetitive and tiring. She spoke haltingly, holding one hand to her throat as if she was trying to amplify her voice. My photographic interpretation of that job makes her seem quite vulnerable, alone in a sea of wool.
14-MAY-2014
Wool processing, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
By selecting a relatively slow shutter speed of one sixtieth of a second, I was able to blur the spin of these wheels to suggest the nature of speed as well as possible danger. My interpretation also expresses the timeless nature of such machinery – it is very likely that machines such as this were also used to good effect in past centuries. Here in Bolivia, they are still performing effectively.
14-MAY-2014
Machine operator, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This machine operator is processing wool. I include just enough of the machine and the wool to provide context for her task. This worker must stay awake and alert, even if fatigued. A mistake could lead to injury. Her hooded eyes, furrowed brow, and masked face communicate concern. She seems to pull away from the machine as she pushes her hands forward to grasp the wool and simultaneously turns her head. The cinderblock wall in the background adds a sense of confinement and pressure. This image speaks not only of a potentially dangerous job, but my interpretation also expresses the physical strength, concentration and determination required for this task.
14-MAY-2014
On break, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This woman is apparently catching a brief rest, but does not leave her machine to do so. I interpret the scene by stressing the pile of hats at her side, suggesting work that either has been done or has yet to be finished. She turns away from us, and rests on her arm, which in turn is anchored to her machine. She seems to be literally tied to this machine as long as she is working, or even not working.
14-MAY-2014
Confrontation, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This worker, his face guarded by a protective mask, wears the same kind of a hat that he makes. As I approached him, he stopped working for a moment and looked at me with a fixed stare. My tight, intimate confrontational framing intensifies this interpretation of a man and his job. The staring eyes and menacing mask lurking within the massive dark hat, complete the interpretation. This is a grim and gritty portrait of a worker who daily faces a challenging and dangerous task.
14-MAY-2014
The guardian, Sucre hat factory, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This woman checks everyone and everything going in and out of this factory. Her expression never changed as I made this interpretive environmental portrait of her. She is not posing for me. She stares at us intently, but remains impassive. Her arms stay crossed and close to her chest. A canvas cover drapes the doorway, backed by a gate of heavy wire. The drape echoes the curve of her arms. Her body language and expression tells us how she feels about her task and also says something about the nature of the job itself.
14-MAY-2014
El Presidente, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This heroic portrait of Bolivia’s 54-year-old president, Evo Morales, is one of several national icons portrayed in this block long mural. I waited until a policeman, speaking into a two-way radio, entered the frame, and made this image just as he reached a tree that divides the photo, along with the head of the president, in half. My interpretation is inspired by my perception of Bolivian history and politics. Morales is a divisive figure. Widely regarded as Bolivia’s first democratically elected president to come from its indigenous population, Morale’s eight years in office have focused on leftist policies, poverty reduction, and fighting the influence of the United States and international corporations in Bolivia. I see the tree slicing through the image, together with the role of the policeman talking into his radio, as symbolizing the reign of this colorful but controversial president. Morales is seen by some as a champion of indigenous rights, anti imperialism and environmentalism. He is condemned by many others for ruthlessly suppressing the growing desire for autonomy in Bolivia’s vast Amazonian regions. As I made this image, I also realized that three of its colors happen to be those of the Bolivian flag – red, yellow, and green. Morales himself springs from a field of blue. It is the color Bolivians associate with the “Movement for Socialism,” the political party founded and led by Evo Morales since 1998. Even the pair of automobiles randomly parked at each end of my frame harmonizes with this image – they are red and blue as well.
15-MAY-2014
Mutual respect, La Recoleta convent, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Dating back to 1600, the exterior of this beautiful church is repainted annually. The walls, like all walls in Sucre, are whitewashed. The statuary over the entrance is also repainted. I visited this church just as a painter applies his touch to this iconic sculpture. I interpret the interaction of figure and painter as a relationship of care and respect. Both figures are protected from the sun – the statue by a flowing white hood, and the painter by a floppy hat. The painter applies the brush very gently, and the statue seems to reciprocate with a benevolent gesture and smile.
(What makes this image particularly Bolivian is the painter’s customary mouthful of coca leaves. Coca is the cash crop of Bolivia. Its extract has been used in Coca-Cola products since 1885. When chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. Less than one per cent of a coca leaf contains the psychoactive alkaloid drug, cocaine. This drug was completely eliminated from Coca-Cola products in 1929. Since the 1980s, the South American countries that grow coca have come under political and economic pressure from the United States to restrict the cultivation and export of the crop in order to reduce the supply of cocaine in international markets. Bolivia’s current president, Evo Morales, was originally a coca farmer, and ran its union. His government objects to these American economic pressures, and has broken off Bolivia’s diplomatic relations with the United States because of them.)
15-MAY-2014
Fashion show, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Sucre’s 25 de Mayo Plaza hosted a lavishly produced fashion show, featuring models from many South American countries. I am not interested in fashion photography itself, so my objective here was to interpret the nature of a fashion show from a spectator’s viewpoint. I chose a vantage point at the end of the runway, also known as the “catwalk.” It is here that each model stops to show off her costume, and then turns to begin the long walk back to the head of the runway. I was looking for a reaction from the model, as well as a response from the spectators gathered around the end of the runway. To interpret the scene, I contrast the matching deadpan responses of aloof model and the head of a spectator who stares blankly at her shoes, to the anonymous arm thrusting a small digital camera into the air. The theatrical light carries the model towards us out of a tunnel of blue light, which perfectly matches her blue cape. Meanwhile, the background adds a sense of place – all of this is happening in the middle of a city.
15-MAY-2014
One last pull, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
This Bolivian TV cameraman, among the members of the media covering a fashion show on Sucre’s central plaza, is getting ready to shoot the show. But first he looks towards my own camera, while taking a last pull on his cigarette. In Bolivia, smoking at public events is still allowed, or at least tolerated. I found the scene to be incongruous, and interpret it accordingly. As a professional videographer, he does not expect to be photographed. His complex and expensive camera seems to wait patiently only inches away from his glowing cigarette. His eyes express his surprise at suddenly finding himself within the frame of another camera at such a moment. The image contrasts a personal instant of pleasure to his professional responsibilities. Meanwhile, his cigarette, camera, and tripod echo the thrusting branches of the softly focused tree in the background.
15-MAY-2014
Fashion show spectators, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
Hundreds of spectators crowd the barriers surrounding the fashion show held at Sucre’s central plaza. I photographed a handful of them here, contrasting varying responses to the show. I take advantage of the theatrical lighting that is spilling over from the nearby runway to bring an otherworldly look to this image. The three people closest to my camera are the keys to my interpretation. Their arm and hand gestures all vary, as do their facial responses. They have come here from different countries and are watching the same thing at the same time, but in differing ways and in differing lighting.