El Barrio Irala

The photographic project "El Barrio Irala" explores the traces of the period of maximum splendor of industrial Bilbao, still visible through the settlements built for the workers. The neighborhood retains an English architectural style of the early twentieth century through buildings for the accommodation of the workers of the company "Harino Panadera". The houses were built in a way that connects them all to one another, similar to the terraced style prevalent in urban areas of English cities. The houses are identical and connected as a symbol of the idea of a union of workers. Through time the owners of these workers settlement have personalized the houses by highlighting them after there own and personal taste representative for the people living inside. Each of the photographs of the facades has been treated to isolate them from their environment and presented as images of individual homes. By separating each house, and placing them in front of a tranquil ocean, the series want to focus on the owner's freedom to express their individuality and personality inside a communitarian society.