LIGHT, LAND AND SEA: VISUAL POETRY BY VICENT GUASCH JUAN

On many occasions Vicent Guasch may be found tiptoeing quietly out of his home, careful not to wake his sleeping family, to position himself, under the cloak of pre-dawn darkness, in the perfect spot to await the first rays of the morning sun.
His passion involves much patience, solitude, precision and, above all, a vast capacity for observation. These virtues are also vital assets in Vicent’s job as a mechanic and engine restorer, a trade taught to him by his father.
At the age of 43 this Ibicencan is a ferverent follower of the ever-changing views and landscapes that the island of Ibiza, his birthplace, has to offer. Although he always liked photography, he didn’t show signs of a serious interest until the birth of his first daughter, 14 years ago. Perhaps fatherhood awakened in him a certain sense of importance, or need, to capture and preserve meaningful moments and fleeting glimpses of beauty. So, one fine day, Vicent bought himself his first manual camera a “Reflex” deciding that he had better start with “a device that he could handle”. From that day on he proceeded to capture hundreds of precious moments, but also found himself drawn more and more towards natural landscapes and the beauty of the island. Almost unconciously Vicent found himself on a “preordained” path and willingly submerged himself in the world of nature photography and continues to explore this artistic universe that offers him, and all of us, a wealth of infinite possibilities.
Vicent’s training and skills are almost exclusively self-taught, although he does attend specialized courses whenever he has the chance and has also collaberated in various public displays of landscapes of the Pitiusas. He is a ferverent admirer of the great photographers of British landscapes. Joe Cornish, in particular, seems to be one of his icons from whom he claims to have learned many fundamentals of photography which he currently uses in his own work. “The island of Ibiza is alive” declares Vicent. In fact, many of his shots seem to also come “alive”. This quality in his photos is created through his playful use of time exposure, thus capturing, in a single frame, those details and movements which are generally imperceptable to the human eye. Few other tricks are used in his photography, bearing in mind that his only work tools are: camera, tripod, filters and a keen eye for the sensitivity and balance of light. Vicent’s objective is to portray the Pitiusan nature in it’s purest form.
Over time, Vicent has perfected his technique and in 2009 presented his first exhibition of photographs entitled “Mar i Terra, Paisatge Litoral d´Eivissa” (“Sea and Land, Literal Landscapes of Ibiza”) in the Cultural Centre S´Alamera. He is also a co-founding member of the “Grup de Fotografia Nocturna” (Group of Nocturnal Photography”) “GFN”, which enables him to use his technique with a different perspective, achieving stunning results, including images of the setting of the moon. Currently he is working on a website, via which he hopes to reach a wider public and at the same time comercialize his work for an exclusive decorative market. Vicent is a fortunate man! On one hand, he is blessed to live on this natural treasure: Ibiza, and, on the other hand, doubly blessed with a gift which enables him to open his eyes and soul to the immortalization of the island´s magic splendour.
Text: Jordi Canut Martín