HONOURABLE MENTION – ALBA DIAZ

Alba Diaz

‘1936 | 2020’

Project Description

The project ‘1936 | 2020’ is the story of the forced disappearance and subsequent execution of my great-grandfather, Jose, at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

The way in which this second project is undertaken is through the creation of a visual narrative in the discoveries of his disappearance – stepping away from the visual narrative which constantly approaches the subject by the excessive employment of images of mass exhumations or interviews and grieving testimonies.

‘1936 | 2020’ is a story of two journeys. The first will be narrated by my great-grandfather’s testimony, guiding the audience through his story. The photographs involved are scenarios in which events took place in relation to his memoir.

The second journey along this creative nonfiction will be the one I will undertake. In this one, the audience can follow my great-grandfather’s personal narration with the documents I will provide from my research. Additionally, the archival documents will be provided in the context of a personal diary. Furthermore, self-portraits and metaphoric images of the emotions encountered through each of the discoveries are also part of that journal. This second journey is my testimony.

Thus, this will lead to a scenario in which my great-grandfather’s journey in 1936, and mine in 2020, collide to discover his truth – the moment of his execution.

Biography

Nationality: Spanish

Alba Diaz (b.1996) is a Spanish documentary photographer based in London. She is currently pursuing a Master in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication, UAL.

Alba’s work focuses on both social and political issues, with a conceptual approach. Her interests are based on the exploration of photographic boundaries, together with the interrogation of photography as a tool of evidence.