office sat down with Martí and Ol to discuss the adventure they took to Mercado de Senora, the photography process, and the surrealism that drives both the market and their culture as a whole, below.
Carlos, what did you learn from your years of fashion photography? How did you translate it to this project, and in what ways did the medium also limit you?
Carlos Martí— Well, now I think more about aesthetics. I used to do more street photography — that was the thing that I was focused on all my life, just taking my camera and walking and shooting around. I wasn't really focused on an aesthetic. I think fashion photography gave me sort of a narrow point of view. But it also taught me that it's not actually about fashion at all, it's about capturing a moment and trying to engage with people through it.
I can see how that aesthetic carries over, but there are different nuances in both subjects. In what ways did you and Sabrina bounce off of each other and collaborate for Micromorfosis?
Sabrina Ol— I think the community here in Mexico is very collaborative and we're always trying to help each other and push each other. When we started talking about the collaboration, one of the things that we both were trying to exercise was the idea of creating pictures that didn't necessarily have to do with a model wearing clothes. Because, of course, I have a fashion brand. I tend to mostly shoot pictures of people wearing my clothes. I was interested in communicating feeling without having another person on the other side of the camera. Actually composing a vibe with different elements, together with Carlos. And one of our starting points was the Sonora market and trying to get inspired by all these sounds, textures, smells, and people. We tried to recreate a ritual, or it felt that way almost. When we were composing all of the little elements, it felt like a very collaborative moment. We had a lot of control, but we also learned to trust each other and let go of that control.
Mercado de Sonora is the largest herbalist and esoteric market in the world where you explored unique subjects for this project. What are some of the most outlandish things you can find at the market?
SO — The bones were crazy.
CM — They just have everything there. They have the feathers of the most exotic birds that you can find. Bones from every animal. What Sabrina said is so true because it felt like this continuous ritual from the market to the final pictures. It's a very eclectic place.
SO — There used to be ever more available there. There are probably some illegal things being sold, but if you ask, they'll bring it to you.
CM — You get to the point where you lose yourself. After a certain point, you're walking around and you realize you don't even know where you're going anymore.