Letras Viajeras (2021-Present) or Traveling Letters is a playlist, video, and photo series in which I combine: postcards, rephotographing in different sites, and excerpts from love songs culminating in a long love letter to places left, people lost, and lived experiences. Postcards, photographs, and love songs: the currency of the love sick, nostalgic, and the wish you were here moments. The last few years have been filled with an immense amount of grief- loss of loved ones, friendships, places, and parts of ourselves. Music has been a key factor in identifying these feelings of sadness, isolation, love, joy, delicately woven in with the words found in songs like Monchy & Alexandra’s “Hoja en Blanco” to Japanese Breakfast’s cover of “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do” by Yoko Ono. I began this project over two years ago by photographing on 35mm or medium format while on long (mental health) walks. On these walks, I amassed a collection of 500 images which I’d like to share in the form of postcards that feature lyrics from the Letra Viajeras playlist. The images have been taken over in over 6 different cities through the U.S. and Mexico. The plan is to assign an excerpt from a love song to each one that speaks to feelings affiliated with that moment. The next step is to re-photograph the postcards and create a looping video of the postcards prior to its departure. Then, all of the short videos are assorted in a long love song with all of the excerpts read one after the other. Finally, a public playlist with the namesake is published on YouTube for the lovesick, nostalgic, grieving, and elated to bask in the sweet sorrow of our ephemeral viajes through life.
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