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27 June 2007

The Prestige and La Costa De La Muerte

In November 2002, the Greek oil tanker Prestige found itself in trouble during heavy weather near the coast of Galicia (which is also known as the Costa de la Muerte; “Coast of the Dead”). The Galician coast is one of the most fertile fishing grounds in Europe. Authorities failed to take the right actions when the ship called for help and the boat eventually broke in two, sinking and spilling some 130,000 liters of raw oil every day. The oil damaged the Galician coast and thousands of fishermen were out of business for years to come.

In the village of Camelle used to live a German artist. He is still called "the Alleman" and he had built his little shack on village’s rocky coast. Over the years he transformed the coastline directly in front of his hut into a work of art, cementing the round stones together into various sculptures.After the disaster with the Prestige, he died. The community claims that he died of grief. They protect his little shack and the sculptures around it. Some sculptures reminded me of the structure of a bridge that I photographed a few days later.

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