“Stalker”
This is my entry for the #monomad challenge.
In 1.972, the science fiction novella written by the Strugansky brothers, Arkady and Boris, "Пикник на обочине", began to be published in serial form in the Soviet Union; it has been translated as "Alien Picnic" or "Picnic on the Road", depending on the country where it was published. The story tells of aliens who visit different parts of Earth and leave behind objects from their civilization, just as hikers forget (or abandon) items after a picnic in the countryside.
The novel served as the basis for Andrei Tarkovsky, in collaboration with the authors of the original novel, to write the screenplay in 1.979 and direct one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, “Сталкер” (“Stalker”). From the original novel, he retained two ideas: that of the “zones” visited by extraterrestrials—areas off-limits to the general public, though reduced to a single zone in the film—and that of the protagonist (although the true protagonist could be “the Zone”) who secretly guides visitors so they can fulfill their desires and is known as a “stalker.” Originally, “stalker” meant “lurker” or “pursuer” (in the context of hunting), and today it has come to refer to someone who harasses, spies on, or stalks social media users without interacting with them.
The characters in the film, the Stalker, the Professor, and the Writer, venture into the Zone to reach the Room where, it is said, one’s wishes come true. The path cannot be straight because it is not the shortest route; no one knows what happens there when no one is around, and in the Zone, everything changes when you’re there. No one knows how to return from it because from there, the way back cannot be found. Upon reaching the Room, one must confront oneself and acknowledge one’s true, innermost desire, for there is a difference between desires that are consciously expressed and verbalized and those that are unconscious, hidden, repressed, and capable of turning into anguish. The journey to the Room through the Zone is a journey into one’s inner self. At the threshold of the Room, one decides whether to enter it or not—whether one can bear to see oneself reflected in a mirror and, through it, perceive one’s deepest nature. There will be a before and an after.
I took the photos I’m presenting here at the beginning of last summer, and they’d been sitting there, on the back burner. I took them in what’s known as the “AZCA Zone,” a business complex built in the 1970s in Madrid. I went there with the sole intention of taking good photos—ones that went beyond simply capturing the buildings in the area and instead showcased the urban landscape. I ventured into the AZCA Zone and wandered through it without a set route, guided by whatever caught my eye and could be captured in a photo; letting myself be carried away by the light, shadows, and contrasts of the buildings… without altering the space. I wanted the day to unfold from one photo to the next and end with my wish fulfilled. The day passed, and I no longer saw buildings; I saw lines, shapes, lights, shadows, and the interplay of these elements… My conscious intention seemed satisfied. I left the AZCA area, but not by the same route I’d taken in. The photos were saved on my computer, and I only developed a few of them.
I retrieved the photos several days ago, and as I developed them, one by one, I recalled my journey through the AZCA area. My memory created one itinerary through the AZCA area, while the chronology of the photos revealed another. Memory is malleable and deceptive; it can adapt to one’s desires, creating false memories and concealing those that would make us uncomfortable. The combination of lines and shapes absorbed me as I developed them, and my ultimate desire for these photos began to surface, but this is something that remains between “The Room” and me.
In 1.972, the science fiction novella written by the Strugansky brothers, Arkady and Boris, "Пикник на обочине", began to be published in serial form in the Soviet Union; it has been translated as "Alien Picnic" or "Picnic on the Road", depending on the country where it was published. The story tells of aliens who visit different parts of Earth and leave behind objects from their civilization, just as hikers forget (or abandon) items after a picnic in the countryside.
The novel served as the basis for Andrei Tarkovsky, in collaboration with the authors of the original novel, to write the screenplay in 1.979 and direct one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, “Сталкер” (“Stalker”). From the original novel, he retained two ideas: that of the “zones” visited by extraterrestrials—areas off-limits to the general public, though reduced to a single zone in the film—and that of the protagonist (although the true protagonist could be “the Zone”) who secretly guides visitors so they can fulfill their desires and is known as a “stalker.” Originally, “stalker” meant “lurker” or “pursuer” (in the context of hunting), and today it has come to refer to someone who harasses, spies on, or stalks social media users without interacting with them.
The characters in the film, the Stalker, the Professor, and the Writer, venture into the Zone to reach the Room where, it is said, one’s wishes come true. The path cannot be straight because it is not the shortest route; no one knows what happens there when no one is around, and in the Zone, everything changes when you’re there. No one knows how to return from it because from there, the way back cannot be found. Upon reaching the Room, one must confront oneself and acknowledge one’s true, innermost desire, for there is a difference between desires that are consciously expressed and verbalized and those that are unconscious, hidden, repressed, and capable of turning into anguish. The journey to the Room through the Zone is a journey into one’s inner self. At the threshold of the Room, one decides whether to enter it or not—whether one can bear to see oneself reflected in a mirror and, through it, perceive one’s deepest nature. There will be a before and an after.
I took the photos I’m presenting here at the beginning of last summer, and they’d been sitting there, on the back burner. I took them in what’s known as the “AZCA Zone,” a business complex built in the 1970s in Madrid. I went there with the sole intention of taking good photos—ones that went beyond simply capturing the buildings in the area and instead showcased the urban landscape. I ventured into the AZCA Zone and wandered through it without a set route, guided by whatever caught my eye and could be captured in a photo; letting myself be carried away by the light, shadows, and contrasts of the buildings… without altering the space. I wanted the day to unfold from one photo to the next and end with my wish fulfilled. The day passed, and I no longer saw buildings; I saw lines, shapes, lights, shadows, and the interplay of these elements… My conscious intention seemed satisfied. I left the AZCA area, but not by the same route I’d taken in. The photos were saved on my computer, and I only developed a few of them.
I retrieved the photos several days ago, and as I developed them, one by one, I recalled my journey through the AZCA area. My memory created one itinerary through the AZCA area, while the chronology of the photos revealed another. Memory is malleable and deceptive; it can adapt to one’s desires, creating false memories and concealing those that would make us uncomfortable. The combination of lines and shapes absorbed me as I developed them, and my ultimate desire for these photos began to surface, but this is something that remains between “The Room” and me.
All photos are entirely my property (registered in the RAW metadata). Equipment used: Nikon D810, ultraviolet filter "HOYA", and PHOTOSHOP for the editing of black and white edition. This text has been translated from my native Spanish with the translator DeepL Translate.