Culture

“Concurs de Castells” through the lens of David Oliete

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The Catalan photographer David Oliete captured through his camera the human structures that millions of bodies construct every two years during the competition “Concurs de Castells” that take place in Tarragona of Catalonia. The competition is one of the most important cultural traditions in Catalonia for more than 200 years and it’s a true spectacle. Hundreds of men, women and children use their bodies as blocks in order to built a human tower by climbing up to 10 levels high until the sense of gravity seem to be lost. The participants are called “Castellers” and their motto is the phrase: “Strength, balance, courage and common sense”. In 2010 UNESCO declared the Concurs de Castells to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Recently, the young David Oliete Casanova won the third place in the One Shot category of the International Photography Awards.

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