1. Tom Chambers - Dreaming in Reverse

"caging the songbird / enjaulando al pájaro cantor"

"glass flower / flor de vidrio"

"seabird mimicry / mímica de aves marinas"

In Tom Chambers body of work 'Dreaming in Reverse', he is able to capture the authenticity of Spanish culture through photomontage. Through this series, Chambers is able to express the emotions of Mexican people whilst also showing the simplistic landscape and physical beauty. Chambers focuses on his previous trip to Mexico as he saw a stumbling country faced by political and economic challenges. Which Mexican people were incapable and appeared threatened by the potential loss of their cultural richness. To capture these focuses, Chambers uses magical realism which essential shows settings which appears to be real apart from a few elements which then create a sense of uncertainty. Through magical realism, this allowed Chambers to express the loss experienced by the Mexican people, as well as honor the grace of Mexican culture.

Tom Chambers comments on 'Dreaming in Reverse'

Twenty-five years ago I traveled freely throughout the Mexican countryside where I relished a warm, welcoming, and slow-paced style of living. I was heartened by the physical beauty of the landscape and the simple, pure lifestyles shared by both the Hispanic and indigenous people of Mexico. A sense of spirituality and magic were imbedded in their religious practices, crafts, art, dance, and literature. Recently, I returned to Mexico where I experienced a country teetering on the brink of change created by increasing political and economic challenges, and exacerbated by the trappings of global consumerism. The Mexican people appeared handcuffed by demands largely outside of their control and threatened by the potential loss of their cultural richness.

Sensing that little time remains to photograph the beauty of Mexico, I have created the series "Dreaming In Reverse" to express both my concern for cultural loss, as well as my appreciation for the inherent loveliness of Mexican life. Employing magic realism, an art genre used in the early twentieth century in Mexico, I have attempted to create images of Mexico which seem true and believable, but also perhaps improbable. These photomontages illustrate my dreams for the Mexican people that they are able to retain the authenticity of their culture.

Tom Chambers, http://www.tomchambersphoto.com/portfolio_dreaming_in_reverse.html