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vision(ary)

Nicolas Marticorena: Aridness

Posted on September 14, 2024

We had the opportunity to talk to Nicolás Marticorena about his series, Aridez (Aridity), currently on view in our annual public outdoor exhibition Vision(ary). The work explores the concept of ecological and ’emotional’ aridness through the photographer’s solo journeys across his homecountry Chile, Mexico and Marruecos. An interview with the artist follows.

© Nicolás Marticorena, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2022. All images courtesy the artist.

Nicolás Marticorena (Santiago de Chile, 1983). He studied journalism and photography at Andres Bello University and has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Barcelona, Spain. As a journalist and sociologist, his approach to analog photography began during college with an initial interest in documentary photography. Over the years, he has been exploring other styles and developing a personal photographic look, which he conducts as a process of internal search and expression that allows him to connect with the contemplation of the environment, people, and the intimate. Since 2021, he has deepened his photography knowledge and capabilities through workshops with renowned photographers Luis Poirot and Fernanda Larraín, with whom he has been learning laboratory techniques for more than two years. In 2023, he was part of Pasajero, a group exhibition of analog photography at Centro Cultural Las Condes. 

Follow Nicolás Marticorena on Instagram: @nicolas_marticorena

©Nicolás Marticorena, Tifnit 2, Marruecos, 2023.
Nicolás, let’s imagine we are on a photo trip around Chile, Marruecos, and Mexico — the places where your series Aridity takes place. Where would you take us first and why?

Without a doubt, Chile. It is the place I know best, it is my environment, and it is where my interest in connecting with aridity originates. I believe that as photographers, our perspective is always more enriching when we capture what we inhabit the most—be it a specific space, a theme, an emotion, or a particular interest. From there, we can create and understand the paths and evolution of our photographic projects. And Chile, especially the province of Petorca, is the space that has allowed me not only to develop a more personal perspective on a very sensitive socio-environmental issue but also to embark on a journey of self-discovery, where I have sought to connect the photographic process with my emotions through the images I have taken over the years of landscapes, people, and communities.

I would take you on the route I usually follow through the province’s roads, with no other goal than to travel at a leisurely pace until I have the chance to find those places and situations that spark an intimate interest in photographing and getting to know those who live in these towns struggling to obtain water, learning about their lives, their memories, their surroundings, and their relationship with the mountains and nature.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Cabildo, Provincia de Petorca, 2022.
In all the places we are going to, why is water — or better said, the lack of thereof — so important to you and to the narrative thread of your project?

Through the images, I delve into the thread of aridity as an environment that allows me to connect with resilience. It relates to the ways in which nature, the landscape, and those who live with that environment adapt, as well as to those who travel or have traveled through an emotionally difficult path. In my view, aridity somehow drives us to seek the extension of life and transforms into a context that makes us reflect on what we were, what we are, and what we want to be. This deeply intrigued me, especially considering that the climate emergency we are experiencing is expanding the presence of aridity in our world in every sense.

When I started this project in Petorca, an area suffering from the effects of climate change through an unprecedented megadrought, I began making recurrent trips to the area as an observer. I gradually familiarized myself with the context, the environment, and spent long days traveling alone, exploring mining routes, and conversing with people I met along the way. This dynamic allowed me to perceive the resilience of the environment, but also to feel my own resilience in relation to the situation and my personal experience. I realized the ambivalent effect of aridity on me and also began to notice that other trips I was making or wanted to make to other places—such as Mexico and Morocco—had commonalities with Petorca.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Tifnit 1, Marruecos, 2023.
Travel to photograph or photograph to travel? What are the implications of each?

Perhaps it’s a mix of both; I think there is a reciprocal relationship. Traveling is one of the most exciting activities we can engage in, and personally, it is one of the most cherished times for me to immerse myself in a subject and dedicate myself exclusively to photography, without distractions. It’s my chance to be amazed. Conversely, I believe that photography often leads us to discover, delve into, and develop an interest in new destinations. Since I was young, I’ve been fortunate to travel, but when I started integrating photography into that exploration, I benefited from a combination that expanded my experiences and travel horizons far beyond, whether near or thousands of kilometers away. Today, photography defines my travels and profoundly influences the destinations I choose; those that support my creative process and self-discovery.

©Nicolás Marticorena, Alicahue, Provincia de Petorca, 2020.

What is on your mind when you hold your camera when you are photographing a person versus a landscape?

It’s difficult for me to describe or generalize. There are times when I find myself encountering a person as part of a particular situation, inhabiting an eye-catching space, or reflecting an expression that draws my attention. At those moments, I feel the impulse to photograph, encountering a certain surprise that motivates me to capture the instant and offer my own interpretation of reality. Or there are times when circumstances lead me to a meeting through conversation and interaction, allowing me to get to know a person a bit better and discover them. That’s when the opportunity to create a portrait arises.

When I photograph a landscape, I also feel an unconscious impulse; something compels me to pick up the camera and record. I’m drawn to composition, light, and textures, but underlying it all is something irrational. The photographer Graciela Iturbide says that when we photograph, we interpret a very subjective reality that somehow conveys our previous experiences and emotions. I feel a strong connection with what she mentions. I believe that when I’m alone, with my camera in hand, and I come across a landscape, situation, or person to photograph, I’m unconsciously capturing a moment that reflects a part of who I am and who I have been.

©Nicolás Marticorena, RutaE411, Provincia de Petorca, 2019.
What are your photo essentials you take when you go on such photo trips?

    I try to travel as light as possible. I carry a medium-sized backpack in which I keep a light meter, a remote shutter release, some rolls of film, a 35mm camera, and of course, my Rolleiflex, which has been very useful on these trips. It’s a camera that, in a way, seems to generate trust and curiosity in people when I photograph them. It has opened some doors for me.

    ©Nicolás Marticorena, Chalaco, Provincia de Petorca, 2023.
    If you could add one more country to your project, where would you travel next?

      I would love to have the opportunity to explore Iran in depth. It’s a country that seems enigmatic to me, culturally rich, and with landscapes that are deeply moving. I’ve gotten to know it a bit more through its artists, its cinema, and significant photography books like Gilles Peress’s Telex Iran: In the Name of Revolution. It’s a country experiencing aridity and, unfortunately, is also severely affected by water scarcity. I hope that when the military and political tensions ease, I’ll have the fortune to explore it.

      I also want to explore the northern part of Chile more deeply, with its desert and highlands. This September, I will travel to the town of Putre to start a journey by land to Calama, where I hope to continue expanding my Aridity project.

      ©Nicolás Marticorena, Mirleft 2, Marruecos, 2023.

      Filed Under: Vision(ary), Uncategorized, Griffin State of Mind Tagged With: vision(ary), travel, griffin state of mind

      Vision(ary): Cheryl Clegg: The Endangered Lobstermen

      Posted on July 24, 2024

      We had the pleasure of speaking to Vision(ary) artist, Cheryl Clegg about her adventures photographing lobster fishermen along the coasts of Maine.

      Cheryl Clegg graduated with a BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and chose Boston to start her photography career. During Cheryl’s time in the Boston area she has maintained a commercial photography studio for over 30 years, and has continued to pursue personal projects. Cheryl’s work has appeared in newspapers, annual reports, magazines, billboards, and catalogs. Cheryl’s personal work has been included in many juried group exhibitions including ASmith Gallery, Vermont Center for Photography, Davis Orton Gallery, Texas Photo Society, SE Center for Photography, Praxis Photo Arts Center. Solo exhibitions have included Schoodic Arts for All (Maine), The Wotiz Gallery & Newton Library (Mass.). Cheryl resides in Newton, MA & Corea, Maine with her husband & 5 kids.

      Website: www.cleggphoto.com
      Follow Cheryl Clegg on Instagram
      : @cherylcleggphoto


      The Endangered Lobstermen


      The Endangered Lobstermen is a series of portraits depicting the men, women, and children who lobster fish off the coast of Maine. They face the risk of losing their livelihood and way of life due to changes and challenges in the lobster industry. Each lobster boat operates as an individual business, with fishers self-employed and navigating these challenges while grappling with the uncertainty of lobstering’s future profitability. This ongoing series documents the families in Maine’s lobstering villages, showcasing the human side of the industry amidst new regulations and the impacts of climate change.



      Let’s start talking about the intersection of photography and preserving family legacy. How do you feel about being a photographer documenting a long line of lobster fishermen? And what aspects of this generational connection do you find most compelling to document?

      Cheryl Clegg: My immediate thought is, as photographers isn’t that what we do? Preserve family legacies? Give it our own family or if we are taking family portraits for others we are preserving a moment in time and documenting the family for future generations. I love seeing all of the generations together and to hear the stories. One long timefishermen’s comments: “I was six years old baiting bait bags for my grandfather right here in Wonsqueak Harbor.”  To give you an idea as to how large Wonsqueak Harbor is- if you blink while driving out of Schoodic National Park, you have missed it. The fact that the lobstering tradition and way of life  is passed down from generation to generation is unique in our society today.  In some of the families I have met, lobstering goes as far back as 7 or 8 generations.  I think this is unique in today’s society.



      Guide us through your photographic process. How do you interact with your subjects when preparing a photoshoot? And how do you portray the sense of kinship and camaraderie among these individuals?

      CC: My feeling is that every person or group of people are different and in most cases I have a very short time to connect with people. I tend to work fast, as people are busy and don’t have much time (or attention span) to be in front of the camera.  When you get a group of people together that know each other, they fall into place.  My hope is that their familial relationships with each other will come through visually.




      Thinking about the loss of the photograph as an object and your project being about conservation and resilience, do you think it’s important to give these pictures to the people you photograph as a token of family history and preservation?

      CC: Yes, I do think it is important for the families to have these pictures for their own personal family archives.  I hope that the files I have given them are printed and hanging in their homes.

      You mention in your statement that “the Maine lobster industry is facing a multitude of challenges.” Which ones do you sense are the most pressing for these communities at the moment?

      CC: The challenges the lobstermen face, be it off shore wind (which takes up ocean space & potentially affect the natural aqua culture), climate change or regulations to protect the endangered right whale are immediate and ongoing.  New regulations and closures are not just in the distant future, just last week there was an increase to the size of catchable lobsters.



      How has photographing these communities impacted you personally? Have there been any moments or stories that particularly resonated with you during your project?

      CC: I think each story that I hear is impactful. The families are tight knit and lobstering is a way of life, starting at a very young age. One of the most heart wrenching stories I have heard was a young father who said, “This small fishing town has given me opportunities in my life that I never thought I would have. When I found out I was going to be a father, this town helped me to overcome addiction of prescription pain killers. Lobster fishing has given me the opportunity to provide for myself, my two children, my stepson and it has allowed me to become a foster parent to my nephew.
      Without the lobster industry there are no other options for me to provide for my family in the community or the surrounding communities.”



      As you photograph these communities throughout the years, have you already started to notice the impacts of climate change through your interactions with these people and with the environment?

      CC: Yes. I have seen the impact of the tidal surges. This past January, the astronomical high tides caused severe damage.  Fishermen’s warfs (where their lobster traps are stored and where they work on gear) and work shacks washed out to sea all along the coast. Many are rebuilding, but many are not, changing how they work or for some changing how they make a living.




      What have been the biggest challenges throughout the execution of this project?

      CC: I’d say one of my biggest challenges is making sure I have the correct information and creating awareness for the industry outside of the state of Maine.

      If you don’t mind us asking, how do you handle seasickness?

      CC:  I have gone out to haul quite a few times but have never acquired my “sea legs.”  I do pay the price for being on the boat, that is for sure. My trick for these photos….most are shot on shore or close to shore.

      Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, photoville Tagged With: environmentalism, vision(ary), outdoor installation, maine

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      Floor Plan

      Amy Rindskopf's Terra Novus

      At the market, I pick each one up, pulled in by the shapes as they sit together, waiting. I feel its heft in my hand, enjoy the textures of the skin or peel, and begin to look closer and closer. The patterns on each individual surface marks them as distinct. I push further still, discovering territory unseen by the casual observer, a new land. I am like a satellite orbiting a distant planet, taking the first-ever images of this newly envisioned place.

      This project started as an homage to Edward Weston’s Pepper No. 30 (I am, ironically, allergic to peppers). As I looked for my subject matter at the market, I found that I wasn’t drawn to just one single fruit or vegetable. There were so many choices, appealing to both hand and eye. I decided to print in black and white to help make the images visually more about the shapes, and not about guessing which fruit is smoothest, which vegetable is greenest.

      Artistic Purpose/Intent

      Artistic Purpose/Intent

      Tricia Gahagan

       

      Photography has been paramount in my personal path of healing from disease and

      connecting with consciousness. The intention of my work is to overcome the limits of the

      mind and engage the spirit. Like a Zen koan, my images are paradoxes hidden in plain

      sight. They are intended to be sat with meditatively, eventually revealing greater truths

      about the world and about one’s self.

       

      John Chervinsky’s photography is a testament to pensive work without simple answers;

      it connects by encouraging discovery and altering perspectives. I see this scholarship

      as a potential to continue his legacy and evolve the boundaries of how photography can

      explore the human condition.

       

      Growing my artistic skill and voice as an emerging photographer is critical, I see this as

      a rare opportunity to strengthen my foundation and transition towards an established

      and influential future. I am thirsty to engage viewers and provide a transformative

      experience through my work. I have been honing my current project and building a plan

      for its complete execution. The incredible Griffin community of mentors and the

      generous funds would be instrumental for its development. I deeply recognize the

      hallmark moment this could be for the introduction of the work. Thank you for providing

      this incredible opportunity for budding visions and artists that know they have something

      greater to share with the world.

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