Second abandoned photo: Mask vs Mask. Found!

 Mask vs Mask, released on the streets: 30/10/2011

Photo size: 24 x  30 cm

Frame: 30 x 40 cm
Status: found!

Such as the first  abandoned photo, Mask vs Mask photo is part of my lucha libre (wrestiling) portfolio. Interestingly I didn’t take this photo in México, I did it in Brussels! Two years ago there was a lucha libre show there; that show was part of series of Mexican culture exhibitions done in the frame of the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution Celebration. At that time, las luchas were in tour around the world for visiting countries having Mexican communities. Therefore, las luchas tour visited Belgium and they presented in a concert hall in Brussels. So, I was in that place and I must say the atmosphere in the concert hall was as similar as the atmosphere in a luchas arena in México. It wasn’t strange taking into account there were many Mexicans watching the show, but I must say all people, not only the Mexican ones, were caught by the energy of the luchas and the luchadores (wrestlers). However, there was a particular difference between the luchas in the hall concert and luchas in the arena-the lighting. In the hall concert there was a warm lighting while every time I was in an Mexican arena there was a cold lighting. Hence because of the warm lighting I got photos that look very theatrical; the second abandoned photography is a good example of that. 


"Mask vs Mask" photo is also a good example showing the importance of the mask in the Mexican luchas. The luchadores have either a mask or long hair as personal sign. In the case of the hair, it's a symbol of strength I think it's related to the symbolism of the Samson's hair. It should be remained Samson was an unbeatable man and its strength was given by his long hair. In the case of the mask, it represents a symbolic object covering the face −the identity− of the luchador. Wearing a mask is having the honor of being a masked wrestler because a mask chooses the man, isn’t the man who chooses the mask. As example, in the Santo myth the mask pass from father to son and the mask wearer has to ennoble the silver mask. People loving masked wrestlers love the character; they love the mask, the mystery behind the mask. Wearing mask in luchas is an original characteristic of the Mexican modern wrestling and that peculiarity has existed for more than 60 years. Isn’t easy to explain the reason why masks are used in Mexican luchas, but hyphoteses have been suggested. For instance, wearing mask has been related to Prehispanic rituals which men used anthropomorphic masks. To this respect, design of Mexican luchas masks have been correlated to Prehispanic sculptures, such is the case of the Blue Demon mask. 


Because of the importance of the mask, masked wrestlers have to wear the mask any time, but especially during the lucha. Hence put-off a mask of a wrestler is an offense and aggression. In fact, when rivalry exists between masked wresters (or between a long hair and a masked wrestler), it can be done a lucha, Mask vs Mask, for putting-off the mask of the looser. If an enmascarado (masked wrestler) lose its mask, he will be humiliated in front of the public. Losing the mask  can be the end of the wrestler career. That's the reason why “Mask vs Mask” is a photo showing a stressful moment, a decisive moment in the luchas. Will he lose his mask? 

First abandoned photo: Fighting and dancing

Fighting and dancing, released on the streets: 29/10/2011.

Photo size: 18 x 24 cm

Frame: 20 x 28 cm

First abandoned photo: Fighting and dancing.

I chose a photo from my portfolio about “lucha libre” (wrestling) to start my photographic project. I like very much la lucha libre mexicana although I must say I’m not an expert on the subject. But I know a lot about la lucha because I grew in Mexico, a country where the wrestling sport is part of the popular culture. I grew watching luchas on TV and also watching many classic wrestling movies in which playing the biggest legends of all time in the Mexican wrestling, El Santo and Blue Demon.  I saw an on live wrestling combat by first time when I was a teenager and I loved it! Twelve years ago, when I had my first reflex camera, I started going to the arena to see las luchas and taking photos. Mexican wrestling is  an attractive photographic subject because there are many interesting elements to shoot, the wrestlers, the combat, the amazing jumps, and the public. But la lucha libre mexicana is more than just a show. Las luchas have many cultural elements, starting with the fact that a combat represent a battle between the good and the evil. Mexican wrestlers are divided in two classes, the técnicos that are the god guys following wrestling rules, and the rudos, the bad guys ignoring rules. So, a wrestling combat is a battle between the good against the evil. This concept was well represented by the classic combats between El Santo (The Saint), a técnico, and Blue Demon, a rudo; and the concept is reinforced because of the names of the wrestlers of course. Other cultural elements in Mexican wrestling are related to prehispanic civilizations, for instance some names of wrestlers are inspired on the prehispanic cultures, there was a luchador named “Guerrero Azteca” (Aztec Warrior), there is a little wrestler named “Alushe” (a goblin of the Mayan culture) and a wrestler girl named “Lady Azteka”. The mask is another element that has been related to prehispanic symbolisms, I’ll talk about that on the post for the following abandoned photo. Thus, la lucha libre mexicana is not only an entertainment show; it is also part of the Mexican culture.

Many people think las luchas are about wrestlers giving fake blows, but blows in wrestling are real. I must say I have saw wrestlers bleeding and having many and big scars. Of course, there is a technique to fight and avoid strong damage to the body, but it doesn’t mean that fighting doesn’t hurt! A good wrestler isn’t the strongest one; a good wrestler is who has an excellent wrestling technique. It’s amazing seeing heavy weight luchadores doing movements as they were dancers in the air. I think la lucha is a rude and hard sport but at same time it's refined having very precise movements such as those doing by ballet dancers. During a combat on the ring it’s possible to see incredible jumps and impacts and the actions for doing that are always very exact and trained movements, just like dance. Hence, for my photo “Dancing and fighting” I was inspired by las luchas and dance. I shot dance some times, at that time I read some books about dance photography in which I discovered the Lois’ Greendfield work. I learnt from his photos the concept of mixing the motion of the human body with untypical framing to create a tight image. Thus, when I worked on “Fighting and dancing” I thought about dance photograpgy, and here´s the result.

“Fighting and dancing” is on the streets and I hope someone will find it. We´ll see!

I found a photo on the street, the idea

"I found a photo on the street" was born because I had an idea inspired by an old family portrait. Years ago I shared an apartment with a friend of mine. We moved to the flat at same time and the first day living there my roommate hung a framed photo on the wall of the living room. The photo depicted a family wearing in a very old fashioned style, it looked as they were people living during 19^th Century, in fact they were; the photo dated from 1891. I asked to my friend who the people in the photo were and he answered “my ancestors”. He always talked with respect about the photo and when we had visiting friends and they asked "Who were the people in the photo?" my roommate took it very seriously and always said “my ancestors”. A day my friend told me more about the origin of the photo. The photo appeared to him years ago while he was walking on the street, well, he found the framed photo among trash bags and picked up it because the image liked to him very much. He didn’t really know who were those people! When I knew that I didn’t think my friend was a liar because although the imaged people were apparent strangers, for my friend they were his real ancestors. He adopted the framed photo and also the image, the photo was owned by him and it got a particular symbolism and story. Now my friend is living in other city, of course the photo is with him and new people ask him about the people in the photo. 

Thinking about that story, I wonder if any framed photo on the street will be adopted by a person. I wonder, if I leave a photo on the street, will someone pick up it? Or maybe the photo will rest there for days until ending in a garbage truck.  On the street, a photo is in the thin red line of being trash or an esthetic object. What is the difference between that? I would like to know if my photos will be trash or they´ll be putt on a wall. I have got many things from the streets, useful things. So, if a photo is a useful thing, why won’t leave a photo expecting that someone will pick up it? If you find a photo on the street, will you take it with you? To know the answer, I have designed a partially controlled project because I want to know if the photo was founded for someone. If the photo travels to Chine, Egypt or Cuba, that’s another good story to know, it’ll be a plus but it won’t be le motif. I would like to know what´s the feeling of finding a framed photo on the street. What did who found the photo think or feel because of the apparition of the photo? “That’s a piece of trash”, “who forgot this photo here?” or “I´ll take it”. That’s what I want to know.