Carlos Alba is a visual artist who works with photography, media video paintings and installations. 

Alba was born in Spain and when he first came to London it was something strange to him and he didn't really know where to begin as such. 

The book captures a narrative and a story behind it all and places which are overlooked and the small observations of each place creates an atmosphere. Through photographer such as Alba, we can see a story that has been undiscovered in a way.

He focuses on the relations with humans in the modern world as well as exploring issues in the world and his feelings and his fears and these are used to make his work to understand his feelings a bit more.

After looking at the observations of trifles I want to go and rediscover my surroundings and what there is beyond my eye and what I have missed because I've become so used to the surroundings it has become blind to my eye. 

Alba is an immigrant from Spain and Spain is home and he's come to a completely different place and want to discover it like his home.  He lives in between Hackney and Tower Hamlets and the use of using both photographs and found objects is to his work in a more physical way.

Throughout my project I want to explore home a bit more and what it means to me, I know that my parents come from different countries and they both ended up here in Stafford and I think its interesting to explore and I have family in both Spain and Czech republic and I want to be able to go back and capture some of the memories that mean home to me and make a story from the photos. I think my audience would be for people who do exactly know where home is and through the photos they can find a sense of belonging through someone else's story.

I like how this is a map of what was around in his area. When I read the description I found out it was the land lady who drew this map out for him, which he then turned that into the front cover of the book which I really like the concept of. "The landlady must've looked at me and thought I was the type of person who who would want her to know where these things are." He thought her judgements of his personality were wrong and his interests were off the map essentially but he then thought that's not what happened too much rather she was trying to tell him to be observant. Alba then decided to look around the new area and observe. When he looks around, he said " its not the type of place anyone would go out of their way to visit" "it seems so forgotten in that way, that's why I like it so much."

He then describes the buildings and how they are mismatched and jumbled and there is "no principal at work here." Then what he says later really is something I want to focus a bit deeper on within my project and the ideas behind it this is where Alba says " It is if a great wave flooded through the street and receded again leaving behind leaving a layer of trash and assorted objects strewn over the pavement and trapped between wheels of the cars like food in teeth."

He wanted to make everything seem strange to hom for longer and so he didnt want to become accustomed to his senses too much for the time being,but he did want to sense of his surrounding is what he did dpo, and to sharpen senses and activates your memory  and within the description said thats is whay this orignal estrangement is so important for some photographers. Life then becomes an adventure when you are looking and investigating. Alba tried going different places to try find a sense of belonging but nothing gave him a true essence of the place. Alba then started going on walks  and just photographing and collecting different objects firstly at random and then with more intention later on cforming a smaller project adn the purpose was to leave his house and explore.

I think this image are quite important and fruit stalls are particularly common in Spain and it brings you back to home and thinking about it as Alba was looking for home in London and this can come close to it in a way. The label on the left hand page is quite important as well maybe it is a physical and mental metaphor of belonging in a place and being labelled in a way. I do like that Alba has brought found objects and put them into this as it gives it more of a narrative.

The buildings really depict what its like living in the UK as that's round every bend you go and see these blocky depressing flats and housing with the bare minimum and I think that image works quire well with the image on the right of the car as its got the hood off and exposing what's inside and just like the buildings its exposing the reality of living life here.

In some of his pages he has studio work with an extra page and I quite like it and it add some depth to the book itself, I am going to experiment with something like that for one of my outcomes.

Here you get a similar feel as both images are dark one is set in an alleyway at night while the others you have people with luggage and suitcases and it represents home in a sense and what we can interpret from that.

The is like an uncovered truth in a sense, I like the images paired together in a diptych in a way as you have the brutal reality of living and then something covered and it links to how things are being uncovered. 

I like the portraiture here and how it feels quite nostalgic I think that was the lighting and it uplifts the photos and then there is some drawings added which again brings some depth.

Reflection:

I really have enjoyed looking through the book and the ideas and concepts are interesting and link in a way with my project of home so I'm going to take this forward and visit what is one of my second homes and maybe collect a few things such as old photographs and found objects that I may bring into the studio to photograph. As I think its something quite personal to add to bring some more depth and visuals into your work.