Cuba Street Photography - Ritual de lo Habitual

My recent trip to Cuba has been a long time coming; I first visited the island when I was studying there in 2000. As I planned my trip (following news that the relationship between the US & Cuba was defrosting) I wondered what might have changed in the 15 years since I had last been there. What I found was that it was more about what had been preserved, and how we had changed in the elapsed time. In a world where people are digitally distracted and social interactions occur mostly via electronic devices, it is a refreshing experience to see a fully functional society where community values rank so highly, and people live out so much of their day-to-day on the street. From improvised work stations set up in doorways and roadside chit-chats, to the daily game of dominos and families preparing meals in the road, Cuba is a haven for capturing life through street scenes. It is much more than old American cars and Russian bangers parked outside crumbling buildings preserved by a World Heritage status, but they do form a fitting backdrop to the dated community values embedded in Cuban culture. As well as the time-warp element to any photographic documentation of Cuban life, I also wanted to explore the spaces that people create for themselves within the urban environment and how they affect and extend a visual exploration of that particular character and life story.