sierra

“sierra” transforms historical memory into a profound reflection on the passage of time, collecting, and the nature of the printed image.

The initiative stems from the "Tomás Martínez" Photographic Association and is co-directed by Azahara Lozano Dorado and Carlos Martínez Brioso as an urgent fieldwork project to recover, document, and disseminate the endangered visual heritage of the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche in Spain, focusing on the period between 1900 and 1960.

In its first phase, the project gathered photographs from archives, institutional and private collections, as well as family albums preserved by local residents.

Building on this foundation, together with Alex Llovet and Josep Maria de Llobet from Ediciones Posibles, they developed a book that transcends mere documentary compilation by approaching archive photography not through nostalgia, but through a refined artistic conceptualization. With aesthetic nods to the warmth of the family album, the publication articulates a poetic and rigorous sequence: the book opens with individual portraits ordered from youngest to oldest, moves on to couples in reverse order (from oldest to youngest), and progressively continues with three, four, and more people. This structure operates as a visual metaphor for the accumulation of memories and the relativity of the passage of time.

The work is completed with texts by Marina Azahua, Mario Rodríguez García, and Azahara Lozano Dorado.

An editorial object that demonstrates how a historical archive can be reinterpreted and transformed into a starting point for exploring broader themes through a fully contemporary narrative.