Joan Vicent Cantó

Insòmnia is a poetry recital organized by the Lleida University (Universitat de Lleida). Insòmnia is a special recital. It is celebrated in Lleida, one night at year (insòmnia means insomnia, hehe). It is not placed on the campus, but in a pub.

It is a nice thing, but specially for me. This is the second year that organizers come to talk with me and the design studio Quadratí to order us the poster. They are completely mad, because we can do what we want. There are no lines or styles except which we decide. This kind of works are very funny (not frequent, nevertheless).

This is 2007 poster:

And here is the last year work. In both cases, the designer worked with the idea of a low cost film poster. Last year I played with the idea of the day-dreamer and the sleepwalker. Poetry has a little of this, I think. This year, I preferred to work with the raw idea of insomnia. He can’t sleep and this is not good (look at his face). But he don’t want to sleep, he NEED to read. This is also literature. A hard drug.

The model is, again, the great chameleon Lluís Niubò.

The goat cheese is one of my wife’s favourite foods. Then, I can’t be without a chèvre picture in my portfolio. It is obvious.

This is the result of today portrait session. I have made a portrait of the writer and journalist Enric Boluda.

For me, it was very important that his cat appeared in the portrait. The cat allows me to describe or talk about the person by showing the relation between them.

I’m happy because, the picture suggests to me some aspects of Boluda that I want to see in his portrait.
I have mixed natural light with strobe and reflector.

In order to content Isaias, today’s menu includes a personal view of La Seu Vella. This is the most important symbol of Lleida and it is the old cathedral. La Seu is, also, the highest point of the city. When somebody is arriving to Lleida, La Seu is the first thing that he sees.

Today’s menu is… only spices. Two pictures from today and yesterday food series. In this case the protagonists are the saffron and the salt.

The center one is salt from Maldon. I love this cristal and very intense salt.

I’m paying a tribute to the city where I live. Often I speak bad of her and I say that I don’t like it. But, secretly, I use to walk by her empty streets to rob some intimate images.

This is the “Camp d’Esports”. The soccer field of the local team, UE Lleida. This is just after the game. The fog was also looking at the match.

This building is the local court. Is known as “El Canyeret”.

Pardinyes is a district separated by the train rail. Behind the empty terrain you can see the little industry of Lleida.

The facade you can see is the Paeria -the city council building-. These men doing strange things are “castellers” making “castells” (human castles), a catalonian tradition. This is the local crew, Castellers de Lleida.

Well, I will continue showing easy images from Lleida in future posts.

This is my portrait of the city where I live, Lleida. Lleida has only three stations: Summer, Winter… and the train station. In two or three weeks winter (a foggy and cold winter) goes and summer (a hot and sticky summer) comes. Then, this is Lleida the half of the year.

I have to say that this is my favourite part of the year. I like the fog. It could be because in my town it doesn’t exist.

PS: This is the “other” station:

Edited: Again. Sorry for my poor english. The friend Isaías (Valjean) has let know me that, in english, the word “station” is used only for buses, trains, etc. In my language -catalan-, the word “station” also means “season”. Sorry

Time ago, I discovered this blue couple in love.

Sometimes, the frame is better than the art work.

In any case, this is a beautiful place.

Other food photo from today’s easy serie. Rice, fresh chili, garlic and saffron.

I think that the blue was necessary.

This is a cool superbad very hard boy gangster that knocked at my studio’s door.

He was looking for some portraits. How could I say no?

Hehehe. The model is Lluís Niubò. He is a great actor!

You can see other goodfellas here.