Wooden Machines_73x50 cm_No10

Photographed in April 2001 on the coast of Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, these images reveal extraordinary vehicles created by local artisanal fishermen to confront the sea, sand and corrosive salt air.

Old four-wheel-drive vehicles had their original metal bodies replaced by wooden structures, adapted for the demanding daily work of pulling heavy fishing nets from the ocean. Built outdoors with necessity, experience and remarkable ingenuity, these machines possess a singular beauty: functional objects that also evoke sculpture and Brazilian vernacular design.

Captured on Fuji Velvia 50 ISO color transparency film with analog cameras, including my Hasselblad 503 CW, the series transforms wood, salt, labor and memory into fine art photographs conceived for collectors, interior designers and distinctive architectural spaces.