work in progress 6

This portrait was taken in Marasia, last village on the greek border with Turkey.

How do i photograph people? I always carry a piece of paper with written in the local language what my project is about (in this case i had it written in greek). I also always try to learn few works, the basic to say hello and introduce myself.

in preparation for going to Serbia in June I am scanning all my negatives (a looooong and boring process) and I am starting to plan a website, to create an online archive of border identities.

where the buffer zone meets the sea (work in progress)

where the buffer zone meets the sea

work in progress 4

Here 2 more images photographed in Nicosia last september.

The next summer I will be for a month at Art Box Artist Residency near Novi Sad, Serbia, which I will use as a base to photograph the borders between Croatia-Serbia and Croatia-Hungary. The border Croatia Serbia is of particular interest to me as Croatia is about to join the EU whilst Serbia has applied but is not joining yet. I aim to continue portraying the people and communities who live along the borders and the spaces they inhabit. I have been awarded a Step Travel Grant by the European Cultural Fund.
My aim is to create an online archive that collects images of european identity.

work in progress 3

some more scannings from the Cyprus divide - People and places I have met whilst walking along the buffer zone. Both images were taken in Nikosia

work in progress 2

images from Cyprus...i took this image at the seaside, in the exact point where the land meets the sea in the southern part of the island. Famagusta and its ruins are visible from here in the distance. This is the precise point where the buffer zone starts

work in progress 1

finally finding time to work on my negatives! Those 2 images were taken on the greece-turkey border in 2011

Pyla/Pila

today, my last day in Cyprus, i had a deluding trip to Pila, a village in the buffer zone famous for the cohabitation of greek cypriots and turkish cypriots.
I saw mainly british tourists though, mainly as Pila is fairly close to the sea and a build up area of holidays villas and detached houses for tourists. Quite a soul-less landscape.
I didn't find the place interesting and i photographed little.

The only interesting part was the main square, where photography is not permitted. There is a building used by the UN, where UN soldiers where hanging their laundry to dry on the roof. Also 2 cafes, one greek and one turkish. As the turkish was closed (i got there very early) I sat in the greek one, where I was alone with a waitress that was from the Philippines. It was quite surreal: so much is said by the cohabitation of the two sides of cyprus in this place, yet the only people i spoke to where foreigners.

There was an interesting conversation with the waitress: as i was in the greek cafe i asked for a greek coffe. Which is the same as a turkish coffe, only that depending on where in the planet I am drinking coffe, it may cause offence which geographical connotation I use to order it. The waitress didn't understand so i repeated " i would like a greek coffe" and she replied "do you mean a cypriot coffe?"
So. On the turkish side it is a turkish coffe. On the greek side it is a greek coffe ("hellenica coffe").
In Pila, in the buffer zone, where the two sides cohabit, they have met in the middle: it's cyprus coffe.
That made me smile.

Tomorrow heading back to London.
Bye bye borders, i will see you again soon.