As a documentary photographer, Adra Pallón, aims to analyze social issues present in a region or social group through the use of long-term photography and multimedia projects. The goal of all of his work is to document a local reality, the one in which he is immersed and can fully understand its social and cultural codes. To accomplish this work, he has spent the last five years working on documentary photography and multimedia projects, addressing different social and environmental themes through still photography and audiovisuals. Some of his works have been recognized in various photojournalism and photo documentary contests: IV Joana Biarnés Grant from Photographic Social Vision, BarThur Photo Award, Luis Valtueña Award, POY Latam, Galicia en Foco, Prémio Estação Imagem, Screenings of Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan, II Héctor Zampaglione Award, among others.
‘Lumes’ by Adra Pallón
An intimate exploration of depopulation and its consequences in rural Galicia
© Adra Pallón via Sonda Internacional
Project summary
#IIFFsondaMega Fires: Beyond Extinction
This project seeks to illustrate the circumstances surrounding the mega fires devastating Spain by generating a central guide to this phenomenon, presenting the new fire behavior and explaining its consequences on the land and the people. It will also compile the strategies for combating and living alongside them; unearth how ecosystems recover and utilize them; and share the solution projects mitigating their proliferation. As always, the project will tell these stories through photo, video and graphic resources as the main tool. Because seeing is essential to understanding.
Conversations #01: What is a mega fire?
Spanish Lapland
Facing Fire
‘Lumes’ by Adra Pallón
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27 June 2024
“That lume (fire) which once lived inside homes and was synonymous with life, is now used from the point of view of forest fires that plague us every year.” Photographer Adra Pallón (Lugo, 1992) has documented the lights fading within homes for years as depopulation has swept through rural Galicia. It is a process which precedes the loss of intangible cultural heritage and environmental problems associated with land abandonment, such as the increase in large forest fires.
In this 17-minute piece produced by Sonda Internacional, Pallón showcases his photographs and discusses the process behind his work which offers an intimate tour through the Galician mountains. He takes us inside the villages, introduces us to the stories of those who still live there, and helps us understand a complex problem affecting a fascinating territory.
Adra Pallón was able to carry out part of the project shared in this video thanks to the Joana Biarnés Grant from Photographic Social Vision.
This piece, produced and realized by the Sonda Internacional team, is possible thanks to the members and patrons who support us with donations. If you like what we do, you can easily make a donation at this link.
Credits
Video: Pablo Tosco and Simón Casal | Editing: Pablo Tosco | Production: Santi Palacios, Lily Mayers, Julia Cussó and Jorge Mileto | A Sonda Internacional production