Man, Water and Fire

Man, Water and Fire is nature before everything! It is will and respect before indifference and speculation.

Man, Water and Fire describes an island, that of Lanzarote, which has managed to maintain its authenticity in much of the territory thanks to the determination of its inhabitants, among which stands out César Manrique, architect and landscaper. Thanks to his vision, the multifaceted artist has helped to preserve the charm of Lanzarote by prioritizing nature over a secure massive construction. Using genius and intelligence, César Manrique was able to grant Lanzarote a value for which, in 1993, UNESCO granted the island the title of Biosphere Reserve.

My first encounter with Lanzarote was in May 2008 during a trip that would also include a few days in Fuerteventura. After a few years, immersed in my thoughts, I was surprised that the only clear memory I had of that trip was that of the volcanoes, cactus, lichens and so much lava circumscribed by an impetuous ocean.

With its white villages surrounded by a black sea of lava, Lanzarote had impressed me. An island where green and shade only exist thanks to the eucalyptus and palm trees that have been planted over the years. I started to document in deep the island in 2018 when I realized that, beside the income is based on tourism, Lanzarote managed to maintain it’s authenticity.

Man, Water and Fire is an ongoing project with which I connect the inhabitant of the island with its surrounding environment. I do this by placing staged portraits that contextualize the subjects in their natural environment, alongside the island's landscapes. A work made with 35mm and medium format analog cameras.

Man, Water and Fire is a tribute to Lanzarote, to those who live it and to those who take care of it.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Tenesar, Lanzarote, Spain - November 2019 Stormy sea at Tenesar, on the northwest coast of the island.
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Tenesar, Lanzarote, Spain - November 2019 Stormy sea at Tenesar, on the northwest coast of the island.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Tinajo/Yaiza, Lanzarote, Spain - January 2019 View of the Timanfaya National Park. The only way to get into the park is by bus that travels around 50 minutes between the volcanoes. The national park is one of the core areas of the biosphere reserve designated by the UNESCO in 1993. The access to the park by the public is strictly regulated to protect the delicate flora and fauna.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Caldera Colorada, Tinajo, Lanzarote, Spain - March 2019 The "Bomba", which is a volcanic rock of several cubic meters, was fired from the volcano Caldera Colorada during the 18th century eruption. When between 1730 and 1736 the Montañas del Fuego began to erupt, the last volcano to erupt was the Caldera Colorada. The Caldera Colorada takes its name from its colourful south-east slopes, which shine with a violent red, which is rare even for the recently originated volcanoes.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Soo, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Pastor Juan Manuel back to his farm in the Jable desert. Livestock in Lanzarote is mainly made up of goats and few sheep. The daily outings that animals make is more to move than to eat, since the desert does not abound with food for these types of animals.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Haría, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 View of the city of Haría from the Mirador de los Helechos. Named the city of the palm, for its geographical position is the most fertile area of the island.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Mirador del Río, Haría, Lanzarote - Spain March 2019 Farmers planting corn seeds in the Mirador del Río plateau. In an island with few resources and adverse weather conditions, traditional methods of land processing like these are maintained from generation to generation.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Teguise, Lanzarote, Spain - November 2019 An abandoned house between the village of Soo and Caleta de Famara on the northwest coast of the island.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain - December 2019 Cristina Camacho Puerta, 34, is a marine promulgator in the Canary Islands, with experience in environmental projects such as the network of marine environment observers in the Canary Islands and director of underwater photography events in apnea as an international competition "Open Fotosub El Hierro".

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Tinajo, Lanzarote, Spain - January 2019 Access to one of the black beaches on the way to Tenesar village. The village survived the eruptions of the Timanfaya from 1730-1736, but was completely cut off for many years.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Orzola, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Alexander Ramirez Rodriguez, 36, posing as a hunter. During the hunting season, with his uncle, they go out hunting for rabbits only with the dog and a ferret. The use of weapons for rabbit hunting was banned in 2015.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Orzola, Lanzarote, Spain - January 2019 Small houses, once forts and underground deposits of ammunition during the civil war, are used by locals occasionally gather with friends.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Orzola, Lanzarote, Spain - November 2019 The Candelabra Tree, originally from south Africa, it's widespread on the island, both in its wild way, as well as ornamental plant.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Mala, Lanzarote, Spain - November 2019 Chana Perera Brito portrayed in one of her cactus fields in Mala. Chana directs the Milana association that contribute to the rural development of the island through projects that involve the growth of the cochinilla. the cochinilla is a parasitic insect of the cactus from which a natural dye is extracted and used in the sectors of cosmetics, in the textile industry, in nutrition, etc. Until a few decades ago the cultivation of cochinilla was an important source of income for Lanzarote. Nowadays, with the advent of competitor countries like Peru, it is no longer profitable for local farmers.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Ye, Lanzarote, Spain - December 2019 Entrance of the Ecofinca El Cortijo by the road that leads to the Mirador de Río. La Ecofinca is one of the many private places in Lanzarote that have become accommodation for tourists. Tourism is one of the few resources that the Island has, however it manages to keep its appearance intact and original.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Moises Jiménez García, 46, a diver for more than 15 years, during the high season is dedicated to give diving lessons to tourists. In Lanzarote there are more than 200 diving centers, one of the main attractions of the island.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Arrieta, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Fishing decorations in the small fishing village of Arrieta.
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Arrieta, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Fishing decorations in the small fishing village of Arrieta.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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La villa de Teguise, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 A palm tree during a particularly windy day. Lanzarote is known as a fairly windy island. Without it temperatures would be much higher and the island would effectively become a desert, like the nearby Sahara.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Tenesar, Lanzarote, Spain - January 2018 Small properties, once probably belonging to fishermen, on the west coast of the island near the village of Tenesar at the edge of the Timanfaya National Park.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Peña de las Cucharas, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Maite Betancor Lemes, 36 years old, pedagogue and archeologist. Maite, in addition to providing guided tours for children in archaeological sites, has been helping in the excavations in the Fiquinineo field for more than 10 years. This deposits is considered one of the most emblematic of the island and representative of the El Jable culture. The remains of the island's past found in this excavation date from the aboriginal era of the majos, at the time dated to the 13th century, until its definitive abandonment as a habitat at the end of the 18th century.

© Alessandro Vincenzi - Image from the Man, Water and Fire photography project
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Soo, Lanzarote, Spain - June 2019 Container used by the shepherds to keep food for the goats, since in the desert does not abound food.

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