Mano a mano

Mano a Mano is a Photo series of the daily work at my seasonal job within Brasilian construction crew in USA, one of them being my family’s business in which most men of my family have worked at some point. Amid the rhythm of manual work, there is fertile ground for the exchange of experiences, stories and knowledge, moments of reflection, shared while partaking in changing the landscapes around us at a very fast pace. Photography becomes a tool for both distancing and rearranging, exploring the interplay of light, form, effort and affection within spaces and people undergoing transformation.

I use black and white film and slivers of time during the workday to take photographs. There is much to be learned from the shared experience of performing seemingly mundane and physically mantric aspects of the job, which collectively resonate in enormous edifices.

Ultimately, this project aims to witness and share images of collective labor and the act of construction as an artistic process in itself. The alignment in gestures and rhythm of a well-connected crew, or the sense of connection from sharing stories, are experiences that have shaped my own work ethic and artistic practice.