Cuba Plastica

cuba plastica

Cuba Plastica I was fortunate enough to spend two months on the island of Cuba in Spring 2005. Most of my time there I spent wandering through towns and citys talking to local people, taking photos, sketching and writing about my experi ences. In all I brought back 1500 photographs and a very full journal. The photographs exhibited in my solo exhibition Cuba Plastica were all taken on a Holga 120FN. This is a cheap medium format ‘toy’ camera with a plastic lens and body. The cheap construction means the images it produces are ‘dream like’, vignetted and slightly out of focus. During my time in Cuba I found myself collecting images of the people I saw on the streets. I was captivated by what I was confronted with, a scene which seems so alien in our closed-door society. I experienced people living and socializing on the streets, sharing bottles of rum, chatting and dancing; the backdrop to this being the amazing tapestry of crumbling architectural reminders of Cuba’s past decadence. I feel the lo-fi nature of this camera manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China seemed an appropiate metaphor for Cuba itself with its easily observable imperfections but ultimate beauty, spirit and charm.

pedal light

main street

go green

hotel yankee

grey green

bounce boy

barrow blue

double gym

over hang

corner stance

rubble red

ocular spectacular

cement stare

door daydream

cake kids

door double

stable sky

capital trash

pink trin

skate line

master plaster

pride stride

art eleven

square square

trabajo banana

drill heat

hydrant red

senor loco

school scramble

double christ

flare fair

cross chris

vendor valdero

christ crisis

trolly trauma

bat belly

corner court

blur buick

pension pink

The images shown in this book are a redux of the original exhibition content shown in Victoria Bar on Leith Walk in Edinburgh 31st January-31st March 2008. I felt that the exhibition edit was appropriate for the space it was show, in but felt frustrated by the inability to show more of my images from this beautiful country. This book allows me this privilege. I hope you enjoy the publication and it goes some way to expressing the colour and energy of Cuba and it polulation.

All images are subject to copyright. ÂŠ paul t cowan 2011 www.paultcowan.com info@paultcowan.com

cuba plastica paul t cowan

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Cuba Plastica

Published on Jul 3, 2011

Paul Cowan

Cuba Plastica I was fortunate enough to spend two months on the island of Cuba in Spring 2005. Most of my time there I spent wandering through towns and citys talking to local people, taking photos, sketching and writing about my experi ences. In all I brought back 1500 photographs and a very full journal. The photographs exhibited in my solo exhibition Cuba Plastica were all taken on a Holga 120FN. This is a cheap medium format ‘toy’ camera with a plastic lens and body. The cheap construction means the images it produces are ‘dream like’, vignetted and slightly out of focus. During my time in Cuba I found myself collecting images of the people I saw on the streets. I was captivated by what I was confronted with, a scene which seems so alien in our closed-door society.