Federico Garcia Lorca's Bodas de Sangre was inspired by a true story that appeared in a Spanish newspaper in 1928. A bride-to-be ran off with another man (her cousin) the night before the wedding, but the groom's brother discovered the couple and shot and killed the lover. The bride-to-be lived on a farm called El Fraile. Over 75 years later, the ruins of the farm remain in the remote countryside of Nijar in Almeria, accessible only by a poorly marked, unpaved road.

Unfortunately, after years of neglect, the site is now rapidly deteriorating. This state of decay makes for compelling images, but the extent of damage now threatens the future of the buildings on the site. While the structures are recognized as a historic landmark, they reside on private property and so far no action has been taken to preserve or restore them. However, there have been renewed calls for action.

Some fellow photographers have taken up the cause. While I'm not a big fan of HDR images, two images here and here are effective at supporting the case for urgent intervention. Another Flickr account devoted to shaming those who trash the Cabo de Gata natural park has another striking image. And, of course, there is now a Facebook group devoted to saving the Cortijo del Fraile.

Spanish journalist Federico Utrera conducted this interview with me by email about my photography and relation to Spain. Utrera is based in Madrid but is originally from Almeria. I first met him last year when he was writing about my uncle Federico Castellon. I was flattered that he took the time to review my portfolio in detail and propose some thoughtful questions. The article appeared in the La Voz de Almeria print edition just before the holidays. The portrait photo is by Stirling Elmendorf. Click on the image below to see the full size article.

The walk to the Centro de la Imagen, on the Plaza de La Cuidadela in central Mexico City, took me past 20-foot-high temporary steel barricades and hundreds of police in riot gear, in preparation for a massive protest the same day.

The main exhibition, titled Presencia Flagrante, showcases the work of contemporary photographers Marcos Lopez and Ruben Ortiz Torres. While I'm already a fan of Lopez' colorful staged scenes, commenting on consumerism and Latino stereotypes, Ortiz Torres' work was new to me.

This body of work, titled "El pasado ya no es lo que era," focuses on archeological treasures the photographer has uncovered around the world, including Mayan ruins, an egyptian sarcophagus, and Roman baths. Except that they are fakes.  Upon closer inspection, the Mayan Temple turns out to be a waterslide, part of an amusement park with a historical theme.

While it is clear that these these objects are not authentic, Ortiz Torres printed them in a monochromatic brown tint, that gives the images a museum artifact quality and seriousness.

Ortiz Torres explains on his blog that his intent was to challenge our claim to knowledge about familiar archeological monuments, which he calls a "false truth." "While the original ruins present us with a false truth," he writes, "the copies of them are truly false." In other words, the archeological relics in his photographs are doubly fake, as they are copies of originals that only exist in our imaginations -- they mimic not the actual artifacts, but our own dreamlike ideals of lost civilizations of the past.

Ortiz Torres also comments that digital images are made into tangible prints in order to legitimize them as art, fitting conventional expectations. But to limit digital techology to the reproduction of photographs, he writes, is simply to pursue another form of historical reconstruction. Digital technology has vast artistic potential that has only begun to be utilized by fine art photographers. But isn't Ortiz Torres himself guilty of the same sin? Indeed, he utilizes digital technology to enhance the historical character of his photographs, so that they invite close inspection and seem more at home in the museum environment.

I provided some information at the Spanish Ghosts exhibition about the locations where the photographs were taken. These buildings and spaces have many intriguing stories behind them that add to their significance. Here are the descriptions:

Cortijo del Fraile: Federico Garcia Lorca's Bodas de Sangre was inspired by a true story that appeared in a Spanish newspaper in 1928. A bride-to-be ran off with another man (her cousin) the night before the wedding, but the groom's brother discovered the couple and shot and killed the lover. The bride-to-be lived on a farm called El Fraile. Over 75 years later, the ruins of the farm remain in the remote countryside of Nijar in Almeria, accessible only by a poorly marked, unpaved road. These images show part of the chapel building on the property.

Carabanchel: In October 2008, I spent two days photographing the interior of the former Carabanchel prison in Madrid, one of the most infamous architectural landmarks from Spain’s decades of dictatorship. General Francisco Franco ordered construction of the complex in the 1940s to house the regime’s many political prisoners. After the prison was finally closed in 1998, the building was heavily looted—all the metal gates and fixtures were removed—and it became a haven for graffiti artists, drug addicts, homeless immigrants and curious observers. The month after my visit the entire structure was demolished to make way for new development of condominiums and a hospital.

Santa Isabel: In 1966 the Beatles renounced performing live after more than four years of relentless touring around the world. As a change of pace, John Lennon took on the role of Private Gripweed in Richard Lester's black comedy How I Won the War, which spent three months filming in the desert of Almeria, on the southern coast of Spain. John and his then-wife Cynthia rented a villa, known as Santa Isabel, from a wealthy local family. It was here that Lennon began writing the verses to Strawberry Fields Forever, immortalized on a series of low-fi recordings in which Lennon's voice and acoustic guitar reverberate through the villa's grand rooms. The grand house later fell into disrepair, but is now being renovated into a museum of cinema. These photographs were taken just before the renovations started.

Tabernas: During the 1960s and 1970s, the desert around Tabernas was used as a backdrop for numerous films, including Sergio Leone’s early Spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood. Film sets that Leone built to look like towns in the American West have been preserved in the dry climate and have now become a tourist destination for curious visitors and film fans. The remains of Leone’s Flagstone set from Once Upon a Time in the West are more remote, but the Phoenix Bank is still partially standing.

Cabo de Gata: The landscape of Cabo de Gata, along the coast of Almeria, is dotted with architectural remains. The photographs here show the interiors of an abandoned house marked with graffiti, a 19^th century church adjacent to a salt-processing plant, and an 18^th century fortification.

Thanks to all who came out for the opening of Spanish Ghosts: Spain's Abandoned Architecture last thursday. The event was a great success -- a couple hundred people turned up throughout the evening to view the photos and taste spanish wines and chocolates. The event was also a great start to the SpainDC month-long celebration of spanish culture.

The exhibit will remain up at Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate throughout the end of October. Feel free to drop by for another look and to read about the stories behind the buildings and locations in Spain where the photographs were taken. Visit Biagio's website for store and gallery hours and upcoming events.

Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate
1904 18th Street NW (between T Street and Florida Avenue)
Washington DC

Check out the SpainDC website also for information about other events this month. Tradewinds Specialty Imports, which provided the wine for the opening, is also co-sponsoring and providing wine for the Admiral Menendez Award Gala on October 19 at Taberna del Alabardero.

Photographs by Mark Parascandola  

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 8, 6:00-8:30

Free Spanish chocolate and wine tasting!

Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate
1904 18th Street NW (between T Street and Florida Avenue)
Washington DC

Chocolate samples from Biagio Fine Chocolate

Spanish wine tasting by Tradewinds Specialty Imports

The landscape of Spain is dotted with abandoned structures, ghosts of a multi-layered history. Preserved in the arid climate, these architectural remains reveal the impact of time, weather, and transient visitors who have left their own mark. The subjects in this series of photographs include the Carabanchel prison in Madrid, a salt-eroded church on the coast of Almeria, leftover "spaghetti western" film sets, and the Cortijo del Fraile, the site of events that inspired Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding. The exhibit will be on display in Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate at 1904 18^th Street NW throughout the month of October.

The exhibit and reception are part of a month-long series of activities planned by SpainDC to highlight Spanish culture in the Washington DC area.

Please join us on Thursday, October 8, from 6:00 – 8:30 pm, to view the photographs, sample chocolates from Spain, and enjoy a tasting of 3 award-winning Spanish wines!

Spain has more vineyard acreage than any other country in the world. Tradewinds will be sharing 3 top-rated boutique wines they have hand-selected from family-run, estate-vineyards, across Spain. The wines being tasted, ranging from the more well known, to more secret, regions of Spain, are all available in Washington DC and are exclusively distributed by Tradewinds. Regardless, these are all celebrity wines making a splash in the US.

Mark Parascandola is a photographer based in Washington DC with family roots in Almeria in the south of Spain.

Biagio Fine Chocolate provides the Washington, DC metropolitan area with the finest collection of artisanal chocolate from around the world, as well as from local chocolatiers. They are located on 18^th street between the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods.
Address: 1904 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (between T Street and Florida Avenue)

Tradewinds Specialty Imports is Spanish wine import company based in Washington DC. The company hand-selects boutique wines from family-run, estate-vineyards, across Spain. Often referred to as the “DC Wine Guys”, the company is known for their hosting wine parties at their customers’ homes, and catering to the District’s top museums, functions, and individual parties. Tradewinds’ wines have been the exclusive wine provider for a number of star-studded events including the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in DC, Taste of Tennis / US Open kick-off party in NY, White House Media Correspondent’s Weekend, as well as many private parties in DC.

SpainDC, Celebrating Spain in the Nation’s Capital. For the first time ever, this October Washington DC comes alive for SPAINDC — a four week-long Spanish Fiesta held throughout the nation’s capital. SPAINDC is inviting the authentic tastes, sounds and smells of DC's leading Spanish restaurants, dance schools, musicians, and artists from all the Spanish regions to celebrate Spain in the nation’s capital.

This year at Artomatic I left a guest book for visitors to sign. I never anticipated the range of comments the DC Tags images would inspire. Of course, it was great to hear from friends, neighbors, coworkers, family connections, and fellow artists and art fans. Many left encouraging words. Some left their own artful tags in the book. Others commented on what the images made them think of -- the freedoms we enjoy in this country and the challenges some citizens face in having their voices heard. And a few visitors were disturbed by what they saw, objecting to the sight of national monuments covered in graffiti, even when it is imaginary.

"Sorry man, but if I saw that in actuality ... I would f***in' kill the guy that did it," signed "Craig, Art Lover, Democrat, Respector of History."

"In my opinion ... this is only encouraging those to deface what is already art, created by human hands with love, strength and power. There is a place for grafffiti and tags, but not on the face of America."

We're fortunate that our monuments are well-preserved and protected. But one of the purposes of art, of course, is to challenge us to think, often through representing something familiar in a different way. I hope these images achieved that.

The Idylls show at the World Bank ended last week. Here are a few photos in case you didn't get to see it in person. The building itself is a work of art, so it was inspiring to see the work of familiar friends and DC artists in this unique space.

See flyer below for details on the closing party at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center this saturday in Silver Spring, MD. Two of my DC Tags photos are in the show (including the image on the poster). Live music and beer provided.