Conquistador

I'm still going through some of boxes from my father's house after he died a couple of years ago... and wishing I knew the story behind some of the objects. With that in mind I've decided that on the days I don't have an obvious blip to post, to document some of the things my children will be trying to make sense of one day when I'm no longer here to explain where they have come from.

This Colombia chess set features indigenous people and conquistadors on opposite sides of the chess board... I bought it in Bogata after a hair-raising trip by boat up to Rio Sucio in Choco well into the conflict zone, followed by another trip in the foothills of the Andes right into FARC kidnapping country, to Pasto which sits in the shadow of an active volcano. The town hall had a banner hanging outside with the names of all those being held by the FARC guerrillas including Ingrid Betancourt who was released shortly afterwards in a controversial rescue.

After the grinding poverty of Rio Sucio where people lived in raised shacks above floodwater 10 months of the year, tying children to their beds at night so they wouldn't fall out and drown, the shopping malls of Bogota full of Prada and Gucci were a bit much, so we headed to the art galleries and craft shops where I bought this lovely clay chess set. It survived the journey home with only a couple of chips and adorns my living room as a reminder of an amazing trip.

I've been attempting to get to grips with 'depth of field' but still have some way to go... I may try this again with the indigenous people and their llamas.