Foc is a series that combines portraits of falleres and photographs of falles in the process of burning. Falles is a term that refers to the traditional celebration in praise of Saint Josep and takes place in different towns of the Valencian Community in Spain. It involves the introduction of each fallera to society through weekly presentations, religious events and the burning of up to 30 meters constructions that are placed in different streets of some of the towns in this region. I started to work in this project because I was interested in exploring how traditions survive in a globalized and hyper communicated world. And how, as the world turns technological and distances between cultures decrease, traditions switch to act on a nostalgic level. I photographed for this series over a period of three months. Most of the falleres I included in the final edit were found in the street and captured using a medium format camera. I consciously decided to include only girls as Falles is a women oriented tradition. Men have, in Falles, a very specific role: the companion. Women get their hair done and put on their handmade jewelery accessories and dresses. There is, in fact, a big economic effort put on the outfit’s fashion. Dresses and accessories can sometimes cost up to 8000 euros. I believe the logic that lies underneath Falles is ruled by emotion and beauty. Individuals need to be part of something bigger and they need to remember the cultural and historical identity where they collectively belong. As time goes by and society turns more scientific, traditions might lose their first “reason why” acting as a sort of tool that reminds people what they once were, bringing them closer to the roots, to their land and historical heritage.
Bio: Anna Huix has exhibited at The Educational Center of The State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, 2009); Taschen, Daniel Cooney and Calumet Gallery (NYC 2010); MS Galería in Madrid and Dictateur Gallery in Milan (2012). Holds a BFA by Parsons School for Design in NYC.
Selected by Emma Morris, Photoworks
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