Cuba Plastica





I was fortunate enough to spend two months on the island of Cuba in Spring 2005. Most of my time there I spent wandering through towns and citys talking to local people, taking photos, sketching and writing about my experi ences. In all I brought back 1500 photographs and a very full journal.



The photographs exhibited in my solo exhibition Cuba Plastica were all taken on a Holga 120FN. This is a cheap medium format ‘toy’ camera with a plastic lens and body. The cheap construction means the images it produces are ‘dream like’, vignetted and slightly out of focus.



During my time in Cuba I found myself collecting images of the people I saw on the streets. I was captivated by what I was confronted with, a scene which seems so alien in our closed-door society. I experienced people living and socializing on the streets, sharing bottles of rum, chatting and dancing; the backdrop to this being the amazing tapestry of crumbling architectural reminders of Cuba’s past decadence.



I feel the lo-fi nature of this camera manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China seemed an appropiate metaphor for Cuba itself with its easily observable imperfections but ultimate beauty, spirit and charm.