Simple - FotoSlovo 2024 - Category « Enjeux environnementaux et Climatiques »

"Archaia" is a photographic essay exploring the phenomenon of "disappearing" by examining collective memory and the role of photography in archaeology. During Franco's dictatorship in the 1960s, many water reservoirs were built in Spain, including one over Mansilla de la Sierra, the village where the author's grandparents lived. This led to the village's flooding and the relocation of its residents without compensation. The author reflects on the intergenerational trauma experienced by the villagers and the visual reminder of the ruins exposed when the water levels recede in autumn.

Inspired by the concept of 'Post-Memory' by Marianne Hirsch, which distinguishes between direct and indirect relationships to traumatic events, the author chose to approach the project as an archaeologist rather than a photographer. Over four years, they documented the site in various stages and seasons, creating a fictitious archaeological archive. This archive includes photographs, documents, negatives, and objects to preserve the memory of the village, threatened by eventual disappearance due to climate change.