Photography : MEG GRIFFITHS CASA PARTICULAR
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After the collapse of the communist bloc in 1989 and the subsequent evaporation of economic support from the Soviet Union , the people of Cuba had to develop creative , alternative sources of income to support their families . Many citizens opened their homes to tourists to supplement their stateregulated source of income . Thus , the casa particular , literally , “ private house ,” was born . The photographs in this series represent a modest crosssection of Cuban casas across the country and attend to a way of life where the previously private home becomes a business .
These images serve as visual translations of my experience of these households . They are a tribute to these individuals ’ tenacity and willingness to improve the quality of their lives through the sharing of private , even sacred , spaces where their personal possessions are always on display . Simultaneously , the body of work acknowledges an undercurrent of formality ; each family must play the role of eternal host .
Nevertheless , there is an inherent sense of familiarity as evidenced by small details such as a bowl of plastic fruit or the ingredients associated with the preparation of a home cooked meal . Domestic decorations represent keepsakes from generations past and new objects function as symbols of status . The images are an attempt to capture cross-cultural differences and similarities and to mark a shift from “ pure ” communism to a nascent , hybrid economy .
by Aline Smithson
Photo opposite page : Bounty Above photo : Within a country
PORTFOLIO MAGAZINE 31