Emilio José Bonnet had never seen a circus in his 27 years.
So when he decided to photograph La Gata, described as Colombia’s first
contemporary circus, he did not know what to expect.
Presently finishing his degree project in photography at Taller Cinco – Centro de Diseño in the country’s capital Bogotá, Emilo at first wanted to “concentrate on the performers’ emotions and intimacy” and wasn’t greatly interested in their virtuosity.
“But I soon became interested in how they do what they do,” says Emilo as he observed and recorded preparations for Déjà Vu, the company’s first play.
Emilio, who is looking for a job as a reporter and photographer and attended the 2006 – 2007 photojournalism course at Taller Cinco in collaboration with World Press Photo, spent three days a week for more than a month with La Gata.
“I got to know them really well, to know how they think and understand their motivations.
“I also started another project with one of the dancers, Laesvie Andrea Ochoa, developing a story within a story.
“She is a really special person who works as a teacher for small children in a depressed area of Bogotá as well as for invalid people.
“For the project I used a Canon A95, a simple compact camera. The photos show diffused natural and artificial light as well as a mix of flash and natural light”.
|
