Pure

  • Nacho Rivera

I have lived most of my life between the busy capital cities of London and Madrid, where in spite of full agendas, a permanent nagging feeling of 'missing something' persists. Instinctively, over the last eight years, I've been drawn to photograph people with a different approach to life - calmer and more present. I noticed that photography was helping me to slow down and embrace the sense of peace embodied by people simply "doing nothing". Using a medium format camera and working with film forced me to approach people at a different pace, slowly and more consciously, which allowed me to connect deeply with the subjects. Developing and printing the pictures in the darkroom added a meaningful new layer to the work, making the whole process a celebration of slow living. "Pure" is a photography project that invites the viewer to reflect on the way we live in developed societies, through portraits of individuals who live differently, at a much slower pace.