• The photographer couple Eli and Carlos travel by motorhome through Spanish villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants to photograph their neighbors.
• The objective is to create a photographic archive that records the personal heritage of small towns.

To do this, they have a motorhome, called "La Bitxa," which serves as both a home and a photography studio. They have been traveling around small towns across Spain since 2018, the year the project was born.

The main objective of this initiative is to create a photographic archive of portraits of people living in small towns. An archive that serves as a legacy and a memorial to the most valuable heritage that Spanish towns possess: their residents and inhabitants.

The project's central role in the towns allows for the construction of a visual heritage based on their identity and cultural character (language, clothing, occupations, etc.).

Patronage

The keys to the project's material viability rest on several pillars: provincial councils, city councils, and sponsors. For "Nomadic Portrait" to be a reality, the support of the city councils is needed, as it is with them that the filming dates, budget, and other details for the visit are finalized to ensure a successful visit.

The project was established as a cultural association in 2019, obtaining initial crowdfunding funding through a call from the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council ( META call! ) and the Goteo Foundation . Thanks to these funds, they received more than 150 donations from individuals, along with a contribution from the Provincial Council.

In any case, it is an absolutely open and free activity for participants.

Route

To date, Eli and Carlos have visited 12 towns with their “nomadic portrait”: 9 in Gipuzkoa, 1 in Huesca, 1 in Navarra, and 1 in Córdoba. “Now in winter we are more inactive since it is not the best time to take portraits, but we are defining what will come in 2022. Now in winter we are more inactive since it is not the best time to take portraits, but we are defining what will come in 2022. We are preparing the spring-summer season with new destinations, in different parts of the country. Likewise, we have already exhibited the portraits we took in Alquézar (Huesca) and Zuheros (Córdoba) in the Exhibition Hall of the Provincial Council of Huesca, which will then travel to Córdoba , ” Eli explains to the National Rural Network.

At each location, the photographers invite the subject to enter "la Bitxa," where they instantly print a paper copy of the portrait. They also send the subject a digital copy.

On the other hand, they prepare all the portraits they have taken in the town to deliver to the city council in a custom-made box so they can store them and leave them for public consultation.

The portraits are also being added to the digital archive on the project's website, where the personal stories of some of the subjects can be explored.