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There are so many things that could be said about this photograph of two men, both in soldiers uniforms, even if one of them belongs to another age, another era, another place. But in a sense both of them are playing roles—today’s soldier playing one that may seem incongruous, suprising or even paradoxical, especially to those whose memories need only reach back very few years, rather than imagine back almost two thousand. And as someone who is not Guatemalan, and who doesn’t live in La Antigua Guatemala, I will let the image—or perhaps other people, speak of the complexities of history, time, and the place or role each of us play in it.

text and photo by Michele Woodey.

I can remember everything about this Antigua moment except exactly where it is. All the recent discussion about water reminded me of this place.

We had been following Holy Week Processions, walking for hours or pressed into dense crowds standing under the mid-day sun inhaling dust from parched roads and the time worn pavements. Our heads were throbbing from the heady mixture of heat, sound and an intense alchemy of perfumes rising from the street—pine needles, flowery corozo palms, fruit, sawdust, and of course incense—now forever linked in my mind, with the colour purple. Tired and our senses over-stimulated by the days intensity we stepped through a doorway and into this —an Oasis of coolness and calm. It was like plunging into a deep pool of liquid shadow, and we immediately inhaled its green watery atmosphere with a deep intake of breath. A little bird had also found its way here, drinking and splashing in the fountain with evident delight, creating a perfect image of that moment.

text and photo by Michele Woodey.

Back in Canada we have a Boxer—cross (… with a Disappointer as my husband is fond of saying). I miss him when I am away and so I often to take photos of dogs I meet when traveling… of all shapes, types, sizes and character. We call it “Marley’s Photo Album” though he shows little interest.

Marley is three years old and has the character of—well, a mischievous young boy. Curious to a fault and always ready to play, or invent a new game, he beguiles anyone tempted to discipline him by looking up with beseeching brown eyes while leaning heavily (and with undying affection and devotion of course) against your legs so you cant move an inch until he is forgiven. He is however, despite all appearances, an unrepentant petty thief of newly made bread from the counter, bird seed (yes, bird seed) from the shed, boxes of fresh tomatoes bought to make sauce, and countess other, carelessly guarded food stuffs. The most severe punishment ever received for these transgressions is ”time” done in his cage, which he loves anyway.

When I spotted a boxer sitting in the widow of a house in La Antigua Guatemala it seemed appropriate then that one of Marley’s distant relatives would be behind bars. There was no mistaking that look—or the under—bite. So we asked the little girl with him if we could take his picture. Much to our surprise she said quite firmly “No—he doesn’t like having his photo taken!”. Very suspicious!—what could he be afraid of?—being recognised? However after a word with her mum, the little girl finally persuaded him and we were allowed to take his mug shot. The owner then told us that in Guatemala boxers have a nickname ”El niño eterno” how lovely, and how appropriate!

I am wondering if there are any other canine characters in La Antigua? …next time I will be looking out for them.

text and photos by Michele Woodey.

One of Antigua’s many attractions is slowly discovering the piled and jumbled beauty of ruined buildings scattered throughout the old city. The romanticism and nostalgia of shattered architecture has always drawn traveler’s and tourists to places such as these- from the 19 Century grand tours taken by Europeans through Ancient Greece and Rome- to present day seekers of lost cities in the Guatemalan jungles. These half remembered places of the imagination hold a nostalgic and irresistible fascination for us, with their gaping windows and palimpsest scarred walls holding up nothing but empty sky and stars. These are places where episodes of history become entangled with our dreams- where stories and fables are as intricately woven together as the creeping vegetation that threatens to overwhelm the architecture itself. The effects of time, events, catastrophe, and nature have all worked away at the stones as a sculptor might, creating in the end, physical poetry.

text and photos by Michele Woodey.

Luscious rivers of colour, in every hue imaginable pour through La Antigua over Holy week. Ultramarine, cobalt blue, lime yellow, day-glow orange, deep rich purples, and blood reds, all in myriad shades flow into endless combinations over the cobblestone canvas of the street. The heaped bags and bowls of rich colour remind me of the work of Anish Kapoor, in particular his early sculptural pieces made of pure molded pigment. Joyful, intense and yet playful they invite us to touch – as do the alfombras – and yet to do so, would also ruin their fragile perfection. The inspiration for the organic forms of his sculpture and installations often springs from the shape of seeds, grasses, and spores which signify the beginning of life and are in stark contrast to his other influence- the wayside altars and shrines found throughout India. A deep rooted connection with the rhythms of nature, and the transformative power of birth, death and regeneration, link the themes of his artwork with the Celebrations of Easter. And of spring, the rains and the beginning of a new life cycle…

text and photos by Michele Woodey.

The City of La Antigua Guatemala is, for me, completely coloured by my experience of life as an artist. Often out of all the photographs I take, the ones that end up “speaking” back to me with the most intensity are those expressed abstractly through the language of line, colour, movement, form, surface and texture. In this image of a night Procession during Holy Week, the literal, representational image is almost completely dissolved by movement and light. What remains are traces of light distilled into line, a ghostly record of time passing and the impermanence of things. The Italian “Futurists” were particularly interested in finding ways to depict movement and speed through the use of repetitious painterly marks on the canvas.

In other images from Antigua perhaps it is the intensity of a colour combination, the beauty of a chance arrangement, or the quality of line which first attracts the eye. The whole history of Art can be found in Antigua and for me a creative energy resides and resonates there as a powerful living force, just waiting to be expressed into being. Maybe this a part of what draws so many people to Guatemala, this vital life energy, which is palpable in the streets, in the air itself, and manifested so strongly in its rituals, customs and people.

text and photos by Michele Woodey.

About Guest Contributor: Michele Woodey is an artist and painter living in Toronto. She is also “half” of a creative collaboration” known as “Fiona Hoop”. Michele is art editor, writer and contributor to Loudestgirl.com out of Miami, Florida. Fiona Hoop intends to set up studio in Antigua in the near future.