Aliste
It was the winter of the thousand storms when the old women looked for their spindles and the spinning wheels spinned again.
It was a cold Winter. There was rain, and snow and wind. But the old Stone cottage resisted. There was firewood burning and goods in the kitchen. And there was a studio in the farmyard covered with grain stalks, what became useful when the cow and the jenny came in. The studio was colder than the outside but the intimate atmosphere builded indoors was perfect to drag there some wary villagers. Our family from Rabanales, in Aliste: Gregorio, Dominga, Carmen y Salvador, Julia, aunty María… This Project was an offshoot of the Mascarades work.
Meanwhile we were portraying the Winter feasts, we got engaged with the old neighbors of the villages and specially those living in La Quinta, in Rabanales, where we had our residence and studio for almost 6 months. Little by Little the first elusive, then inquisitive and afterwards homely neighbors became a part of our daily life and they ended up allowing us to take their portraits: a precious, unforgettable gift as much as their friendship.
The portraits
