Terrestrial readings

 

Born and raised in Panama, Lorena Endara is a photographer whose passion links directly to social justice and territorial issues. We asked her to tell us about “A man a plan a canal Panama” series and, moreover, about her interest and research on landscape. An ever-changing lecture.

 

«Panama is a unique place. Its particular geography defined its place in the world, and at the same time, its relation to the US. It continues to mark its socio-economic development, most evidently, with the current expansion of the Panama Canal.

Panama is also my native country, my personal landscape. In a way, my photographs mediate between the past and future of the country, and between the multiplicities of worlds that exist within Panama: urban jungles and natural havens; the first world of the capital and the third world of the countryside. Surely. Historical, political, and economic forces are continually shaping the landscape. In the last few years, the country witnessed an economic boom which allowed for wealth to accumulate more than ever. There is a stark difference between some over-developed fragments of the country and the marginalized majority. As the population is further polarized, this is reflected upon the landscape.

Whether or not I’m taking pictures, I observe the landscape – the physical landscape as indicative of the socio-political one and vice-versa. These meditations allow me to connect with where I am and my evolving relationship with the world. In this vein, I find reading the landscape is curiously like reading a history book in the making. Investing time and energy into long-term photo projects is my preferred form of exploring the world, a never-ending education».

 

 

Photo:

© Courtesy of Lorena Endara

www.lorenaendara.com

(click on the image at right for more pictures)