Pozuelo: sin límites | Diego Leon Bethencourt
‘Pozuelo: sin límites’ (Pozuelo: without limits) is a collection of photographs by Diego Leon Bethencourt showing urban spaces in his hometown of Pozuelo de Alarcón, between mid-2020 and the beginning of 2022.
Inspired by the “New Topographics” landscape movement and more recently the photography exhibition; ‘In Spain: Photography, commissions, territories, 1983-2009’ shown in the ICO Museum in Madrid, Diego tried to reflect the spaces of Pozuelo in an attempt at beginning a conversation around the perceptions and realities of this town on the outskirts of Madrid.
The title is partially inspired by the film ‘In the City Without Limits’ (2002), but also as a reference to the seemingly never-ending expansion of the city in the last three decades. The resulting work is slightly atypical. The choice regarding the photography of spaces and urban elements, and not necessarily placing the focus on the people, as would be the case in “traditional” street photography is due to my belief that these landscapes carry an intrinsic message and a deeper analysis and whose existence and destruction obeys sociocultural movements.
It does not attempt to showcase the evolution of these landscapes throughout time, as this would take years and should be seen as part of a larger project. However, this collection shows a specific moment in time, situations that involve lesser-known cultural aspects of the town, and spaces that would not fit in the more idealised view of Pozuelo that has been established in the last few decades.
Slideshow of work below:
It’s a brief collection, with a reduced number of images and themes, which at first glance may seem somewhat random. The analysis of these images is helped by small descriptions on some of them, although the intention is to remain somewhat cryptic, as its target audience is mainly the inhabitants or people who are aware of the social aspects of the town.
Some of the topics covered in the series are the wage gap, historical memory, urbanism, the housing bubble, and the destruction of the territory. The technique used in the entirety of the project is digital colour.
Watch the full collection:
About Diego
He/him
Diego is a Spanish Photographer and Microbiology student based in Madrid, Spain. Diego's work often explores feelings of nostalgia and reflections of his traditional Spanish upbringing.
Instagram: @diegoscopia / https://www.flickr.com/photos/thediegoleon
