Charlie Smith
A PHOTOGRAPHY competition has been launched highlighting the abandoned buildings that litter Spain.
‘Ghost Urbanisations’ is organised by legal firm Lexlegis and the Clic Clac Photographic Association.
The second edition of this unique event is accepting entries from both professional and amateur snappers until December 30.
Entrants are in with a chance of getting their hands on the €300 prize, for images that show the ‘scars of the real estate bubble’.
Experts from the world of professional picture-taking make up the jury, which will decide the winner, to be announced at an awards ceremony in February.
It comes after thousands of properties built in the boom years remain blots on the landscape, with Malaga, Alicante and Madrid being some of the worst affected areas.
At the height of the bubble in 2006, authorities gave the green light for 865,561 new home licenses, despite demand not being greater than 250,000.
Banks dished out loans to developers, who weren’t concerned if projects flopped, which resulted in €175 billion of wasted housing being abandoned.
These ghost urbanisations provide ample material for photographers, such as Markel Redondo, who first snapped Spain’s empty houses for his 2010 collection Sand castles.
For this competition, participants may enter three of their own black and white or colour 40x50cm images, which must be unframed and on photographic paper.
For more info, email lexlegis@lexlegis.org
