I first attended Las Falles festival in Valencia way back in 2007 and was fascinated by the incredibly intricate and detailed sculptures each Falla club created and subsequently set alight on the final eve of the festival. I knew there was more to this story than what I had seen on the streets of Valencia back in 2007 and hoped to one day have the chance to re-visit and understand more about the communities and process that brought such amazing creations to life. It wasn’t until March 2022 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend time with these extremely passionate and dedicated members of various Falles clubs and document the event all the way from the inception to the final burning of the Falla. It was an incredible experience to witness and document such amazingly talented artists and communities come together to build and then celebrate las Falles.
Of the 100s of Falles scattered around Valencia, often reaching 4 to 5 floors in height what really fascinated me wasn’t the shear size of the sculptures as may have been expected but instead the unwavering attention to detail. This small five-foot section from one of the largest Falles really caught my eye and sent me on a journey through my youth. To witness it being sculpted and to finally see if being displayed on the streets and enjoyed by the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city was a truly amazing experience and one that will last a life time.
