Laura Van Severen & Mònica Pagès
El camp d’elles
Cal Garbat, S2
“El camp d’elles” is a reflection on territory, told through the voices of the women who inhabit it. Using both images and words, the project aims to share their unique experiences of living in a high mountain village in the Pyrenees.
Each woman has her own story and has taken a different path in life. Through their portraits, we challenge simplistic notions of rural life and explore a human geography that encompasses the varied paths and views that make up their landscape..
The project captures a reality that is constantly transforming. The geography and physiognomy of the village have changed over time, as have women’s roles and understanding of their own condition. Only eighty years ago, their lives were dictated by the context of their surroundings, rudimentary tools for survival, and the land and livestock. In the 20th century, work in textile factories located in the valley supplanted this reality. Around the turn of the millennium, access to other professions, new technologies, and better infrastructure widened horizons and introduced new ways of living that incorporate the possibilities of tourism and remote work. By magnifying the ultra-local, the project reveals universal stories.
Laura Van Severen (1993, Barcelona) is a photographer who works on long-term photographic projects in which she explores the landscape and the relationship we have with it.
Mònica Pagès (1972, Barcelona) is a journalist and writer. She focuses mainly on cultural issues, specifically classical music and visual arts.
Laura and Mònica met in Campelles in the spring of 2020. Coming from different backgrounds and generations, their paths converged in the need to explore firsthand the reality of women with a life experience linked to this environment.
