Maintaining Chilean Bonds in a French Setting

Land of a Thousand Dances is a story about Esteban and their six children living in Belin- Béliet (FR). This Chilean family lives a day to day in which time no longer exists. Macarena dances flamenco with her horses while Esteban has an incredible connection with them.

I met Esteban and Macarena ten years ago in the mountains of France where I was fascinated by their lifestyle. The freedom that I felt and the connection to Chile was something that I hadn't experienced in a long time. It doesn't matter what kind of background you have, everyone is invited without any preconceptions to join their lifestyle. Nature is shared and I have never felt such a geniality as with this family.

After ten years I went to Belin-Béliet for a month without any plans or expectations, I was inspired by the world in which this beautiful family lives. I went with their rhythm and joined them as part of the family. During this month I tried to capture the poetic magic realism that I felt surrounded by horses and nature.

Words and pictures by Maite de Lorenzo

Maite de Lorenzo was born in Chile in 1994. Together with her parents she traveled and lived in different countries. She starts photographing at early age and uses the medium as an excuse to get closer to people. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in photography at KASK School of Arts in Ghent (BE). Her work focuses on people and their environment in all kinds of situations. Follow her on Instagram and PhMuseum.

--------------

This feature is part of Story of the Week, a selection of relevant projects from our community handpicked by the PhMuseum curators.