Messages to the Rural Dwellers

Messages to the Rural Dwellers is undoubtedly the best photographic essay I have seen in a long time. An original idea, impeccable editing, and a construction of the message like no other. Only someone patient and observant like Jorge can find and combine these two key pieces to build the narrative. On one hand, the messages from hundreds of Patagonian residents who, isolated from everything, connect through the radio from ancient times. On the other hand, the image that creates and recreates the living environment of the protagonists. Text and photography united in a unique dialogue in this book. Something that fascinates me about a photographic essay is when it makes you fly, imagining one and a thousand possible worlds... This is what happens on every page of Messages to the Rural Dwellers. The text of these messages, written in rudimentary Spanish, and the portrayal of the characters that, far from documenting a single moment (although they do), invite you to imagine their ways of life, their multiple possible stories, their aspirations, difficulties, and longings... A book to get to know, deep into our distant Patagonia. Esteban Tapella.