In the Panama-Costa Rica border, old age and a life of hard labor, seem to enstill the scarce buildings, the daily objects and old men that can no longer carry through. An individual, a single space or object can be enough to define a whole context. By taking photographs of a very specific location and person the panorama of this frontier is presented.
Sixaola on the Costa Rica-Panama border was raised like so many towns in the Costa Rican Carabbean by the work force of the ever growing banana plantations. Men here have etched a living, hauling luggage and produce across the border, working under the grueling conditions of the plantations. As old age seeps in, most have been crippled by the years of hard labor; those living are left penniless and alone. Amongst the dreary buildings Antonio awaits, after 47 years of working the fields, he keeps hoping for a paying job; a chance for a meal to carry him through. In his rope-riddled chair, he embodies Costa Rica’s south Caribbean; forever languid, impoverished and forgotten.
A single object, one person can be enough to define a whole context. By taking photographs of a specific man’s condition, I aimed at illustrating the panorama of this forsaken frontier.