Carlos Alvarez Montero - Covers (Adopt & Adapt)

Carlos Alvarez Montero – Covers (Adopt & Adapt)

www.alvarezmontero.com

“This project focuses on people who are in the midst of constructing their identity but because of the lack of rapport with their social, cultural and geographical situation, they have the need to adopt ideas, styles, signs and/or symbols from a part of a world different than their own. By adapting them to their specific circumstances they create a new meaning that fits their specific needs and situations. This way they create a new code that separates them from everyone else, reaffirming their individuality giving them certain aura of authenticity.”

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“The title makes reference to two of the existing meanings of the word ‘cover’. The first as in the cover of a book in relation with the old expression ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ which in the case of Covers (adopt & adapt) is quite the opposite, you must judge the subjects by their appearance in order to understand them since there is vast information written in the form of clothing, accessories, tattoos, etc. that they have carefully put together as a way of expression. The second comes from the cover version of a song; a new rendition, a reinterpretation of a music piece that is created by adapting the original into a different context (rhythm, style, language) than the one it was first conceived, making it accessible to a whole new audience that otherwise wouldn’t identify with the original version, with this in mind Covers (adopt & adapt) is a compendium of cultural versions, mixes and mashups.”

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more images on the artist’s website; found via 500photographers