La tradición del Viernes Santo en Quito, Ecuador.

The beauty of living overseas is discovering something new everyday. When moving abroad, you immerse yourself in the day-to-day of a place. You get to go beneath the surface which allows you to get different perspectives and more insight in a culture and in yourself... As a photography student at El Centro de la Imagen I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of Quito’s greatest spectacle; La Procesión Jesús del Gran Poder. The Easter tradition takes place on Good Friday in the small streets of historic Quito at 2,850m above sealevel. During the 3 hour procession the image of Jesus is preceded by hundreds of Ecuadorians dressed and veiled in purple garments. Many walk in bare feet, carry heavy crosses, or wrap themselves in barbed wire as acts of penitence and humility. In the early morning my class joined the participants of all ages at San Andres' high school courtyard where they converted themselves into martyrs. Capturing these unguarded moments was unlike anything else I had done before. The experience stays with me as if it was yesterday. (Quito 2009)