Set between tourist towns like Monterey and Carmel, one would never expect to find a place much the same as the town of Castroville. California’s own little slice of Mexico, Castroville is cornered by miles of farm fields and split by one main road. It’s a place the locals would describe as an “oversize truck stop” or a place they would like to get out of. Nevertheless, it’s a community in which its rural ties bring people together. Stepping inside the local barber shop on the main street, one will hear laughter and a mix of Spanish and English between the shop owner and his customers. Meanwhile, out in the fields, strawberry pickers have been working since daylight. Scaling up and down each row of strawberries, the pickers are careful not to leave out one single strawberry as they strain their backs, bent over, looking for the next one to gather. The town is filled with hardworking people, in every corner one may look. I visited Castroville in July 2009. Feeling the strong sense of community and zealous work ethic, I was intrigued and began shooting immediately.
2009
A five piece series of triptychs in which various areas of consumption are captured.
In a dream like sequence, this stop motion short delves into fear and desperation in a heart racing pace. What are you running from?
2010