Paso a paso (2021)
La Tía Felisa, Cantabria, SpainThe photographic installation "Paso a paso" (Step by step) is a deep and poetic exploration of how the passage of time affects everything around us. The exhibition consists of 17 images framed in weathered wooden logs and pine needles that symbolize the constant change in the natural world. At the same time, the moments captured in this selection of images may never exist in the same way again except in the amalgam of inks that compose them on paper. Each of those moments, in some way, influenced the artist's personality and evolution.
The photographs presented in the installation capture unique moments, moments that cannot be repeated, but that remain frozen in time thanks to the magic of photography. However, in contrast to nature, which constantly changes and evolves, the images remain intact and seem to stop time. But what if they are allowed to age along with the environment around them?
This is where the organic elements that frame the images come into play. The pine needles that border the photographs were collected fresh and green, but as the days go by, they lose their freshness and dry out, changing color to a yellowish tone.
The choice of wood and pine needles as elements to frame the images in the installation is not accidental. These elements are symbols of nature and constant change. Wood, in particular, is a material that is often used to build durable structures but eventually deteriorates over time. Pine needles, on the other hand, represent the life cycle of plants and how they change with the seasons.
The Paso a paso installation invites the viewer to reflect on how everything around us changes and how photography, a medium often associated with immortality, is also subject to the passage of time. Through the combination of organic elements and photographs, the exhibition creates an immersive experience that forces viewers to consider how things change and evolve, even if the changes are not immediately perceptible.
Paso a paso is a meditation on the nature of change and impermanence in a world that often seems immutable. The installation reminds us that everything changes and nothing escapes the passage of time. By confronting the reality of how time affects everything around us, we can learn to better appreciate the ephemeral beauty of life and the natural world that surrounds us.