The Unfinished Dream

I felt as though I were an alien landing on some deserted building site on the distant planet of Men. Surrounded by dust, cranes, and concrete, wrapped in extreme heat I could see hundreds of them. Men in coloured overalls.

They noticed me immediately, receiving me as I imagine American troops welcome pop singers in far away conflict zones, far from home and starved of distractions. I felt the instant relief in their eyes, as though they had suddenly escaped their jobs, to inexplicably find themselves in a kingdom where we are all the same, humans.

Finding a young woman staring at them through the fence had probably started just a chemical reaction in their bodies but I could feel some kind of peace that calmed us all down while it morphed into a disturbing shape. The prolonged gaze we shared grew heavy, making me uncomfortable.

I could sense lots of pressure building all around me, dictating how I should behave. It was a question of staying put, extending the moment, or returning to the bubble I had stepped out of only moments before. I decided to stay, to experiment further with this awkward moment that triggered unbearable emotions. I would talk to them and photograph them, to remind myself of this internal dilemma in the future. I would carry photographs, mementos, but I knew that my presence could only ever be ephemeral for the men in the overalls. I would be a memory, an event they would question, like a dream… wondering if it ever really happened, if I was ever there on the other side of the fence.

I wanted to share a moment of pure honesty with them, by their side, because it was all I had to offer. And very quickly, it all become too much, and I broke down without realizing what was happening. Standing before dozens of men, crying, for the first time I had to face the difficult reality of their lives with my own eyes, unfiltered by any media or corporate agenda.

Just as suddenly I felt sorry for displaying such a pessimistic attitude, even though it was the purest, most honest feeling I had at that moment. Feeling pity not for what they do but for the way they have to do it, and for the excuse we have created to justify ourselves, floating in our bubbles without ever looking further than our own immediate concerns.

And then I felt ashamed of being human, wandering the planet of Men.

URRL installs in Liverpool its 360° Dome

Last weekend we installed successfully our 360° dome in Liverpool City Center. Working under the guidance of Uniform, URRL presented a 360 Immersive Experience to promote Carlsberg beer within the visitors. Everyone worked really hard to deliver this unique experience that we hope to keep developing in the near future.

More info:

www.urbanreaction.org

http://www.uniform.net/

Citrus Arts presents ‘Fly on the wall’ at the Wales Millennium Centre

Some pictures from ‘Fly on the Wall‘ performance at the Wales Millennium Centre. An amazing piece that combines circus, dance and theatre.

Created and performed by James Roberts, Bridie Doyle, Zoe Mills, Gustav Lundstrom, Fran Widdowson and John Norton.

You can see a trailer on the web:

http://www.vimeo.com/21364652

GIA in European Parliament

Last month we curated an exhibition at European Parliament in Brussels. After working in the ‘Ghosts in Armour‘ project for over 3 years,  this one has been our 11th exhibition. At the end, 9 artists made it to the opening so we had a great time enjoying basque and welsh wine and beer. More info: www.ghostsinarmour.com

 

 

 

Exhibition in Logroño, La Rioja

It will be open until the 28th of November and for the first time it shows many different projects I have developed over the last years. It is a small retrospective of 4 emergent artists related to this Spanish area somehow. It has been a great point to establish a before and after of my photographic career so far, or what means that I have to produce more new work!

URRL in the Jet Lag Festival in Bilbao

Last week I was participating along the URRL team in the festival Jet Lag Bio in Bilbao. We were presenting 2 interactive tricycles that allowed people to create music and mix videos through different sensors. The other installation we had was an inmersive tent with 360° projections showing many locations from Berlin and Bilbao in a unique way. We hope to develop this experience further and try to participate in other festivals and events in the near future. Check www.urbanreaction.org for more info.

Ryder Cup in Newport

I went to see the americans as the americans were not coming to see us here in Newport. All this year the Ryder Cup has been promoted as if it was going to change and save this city and it is sad to see how little Newport has been affected by it.

Port Talbot

I have been in hell and heaven at the same time. We visited Port Talbot steelworks once more and we were amazed by the grandiosity of the structures.  After 3 years photographing derelict factories it is feels great to witness the process of steel making, to feel the `heart beat´ we were told about, to smell a place still alive.

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Lady of the lake

This year we will be working alongside Independent Ballet Wales to create the set ups that will be projected during the performances of `Lady of the Lake´ later this year.  Last Sunday we went to Llyn y Fan Fach, the original lake where the legend is based on, located in the Brecon Beacons National Park. After an exhausting hike with all the equipment we managed to catch the sunset at the lake recording some footage of Lauren disappearing into the water while  taking some promotional shots for the company. Thanks to all the team for such a good experience!

Artistic Director: Darius James / Choreographer: Amy Doughty / Dancers: Lauren, Daisuke, Richard and Olga / Red One operator: Keefa Chan *with the amazing help of Emma! / Photographers and barbacue masters: Matt Wright, Armin Seltz and Ignacio Fernández. / Photos of this post: Janire Nájera

Summertime!

Performance of Cabaret in La Hacería, saturday at 1 pm. Play developed during a week workshop where actors from Galicia and Bilbao created a piece together.

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