Jerwood/Photoworks Awardee, Alejandra Carles-Tolra, takes over our Instagram account, October 2017.

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Alejandra Carles-Tolra (b.1988, Spain) Alejandra received a BA in Sociology from the University of Barcelona and a Photography MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Alejandra’s work has been published and exhibited internationally, most recently at Vice, The Huffington Post, Gup Magazine, World Photography Organization, The Independent, Circulation(s) Festival in Paris, and Getty Images Gallery in London. She has taught photography at The University of New Hampshire and Massachusetts College of Art and Design, among other institutions. Alejandra currently collaborates with non-profit organizations as an art workshop facilitator using art and education to empower vulnerable communities.

Hi! @alejandractr here, on my last post of my week long @Photoworks_uk takeover. It’s been a pleasure sharing my work with you and I hope to see you all soon at the January exhibition @jerwood_gallery! Over the next months, I will be editing the work, curating the exhibition, writing artist statements and making test prints to get everything ready for the opening. This picture is from one of my last visits with the group in Southampton, where we had a great time making work around the incredible Netley Abbey Ruins. Hasta pronto! #IGTakeover #photography #alejandracarlestolra #england #identity #community #janeausten #literature #southampton

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 5, 2017 at 1:52pm PST

Hi all and happy Sunday! @alejandractr on my last day taking over @Photoworks_uk and continuing to talk about my new work, to be released in January 2018. Since I first met this community, I’ve been invited to discover a variety of beautiful spots across England. Every time the group meets for a day, a weekend or a week, they carefully select a location that has some historical relevance (and if possible one that is related to Jane Austen or the Regency Period). In my trips with them, I have visited numerous National Trust spots, walked along gorgeous gardens and driven around quintessentially English roads. In this picture, the group is walking around Buscot Park. #IGTakeover #photography #alejandracarlestolra #janeausten #regency #englishlandscape #buscotpark #groupidentity #community

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 5, 2017 at 4:26am PST

Hi! @alejandractr on day 6 of my @Photoworks_uk take over and continuing to talk about my new project. Every year, over 600 people attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England dressed in their finest Regency outfits. This year I ran into this fancy looking canine who was also walking in the annual promenade. The Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society (JAPAS) rent out a large house so they can spend time together in Bath while also attending the Festival’s events. This has been a great opportunity for me to spend time living with the group in a setting that was also part of Jane Austen’s history. #IGTakeover #photography #alejandracarlestolra #janeausten #bath #english #contemporaryphotography

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 4, 2017 at 3:55pm PDT

Hi! @alejandractr on day 6 of my @Photoworks_uk take over. Today I’d like to introduce you to my new project, which I’ve been working on with the support of @jerwoodjva & @Photoworks_uk. The work will be released in January 2018 at an exhibition @jerwood_gallery. For the last couple of years I have been following a group of women who share a strong passion for the English writer Jane Austen. Defined as Janeites,  these women have created a community called The Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Association Society. Members of the group come together to celebrate the work of the writer in house parties, picnics, balls, site visits, and Austen related events. During their gatherings they dress up in full Regency outfits, perform music, read books and organise Austen related games. Throughout this body of work, I am interested in exploring themes of empowerment, escapism and belonging. Can escaping help us belong? #IGTakeover #photography #alejandracarlestolra #janeausten #literature #women #femaleidentity #escapism

A post shared by Photoworks (@photoworks_uk) on Nov 4, 2017 at 10:28am PDT

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