Dancing

Medium: Giclée print from digital camera

Dimensions: 18″x12″ print in 25 6/16″ x 19 6/16″ frame

Date: June, 2020

About the Artwork:

I particularly enjoyed my time observing the bottling crew. There is a satisfying rhythm to the bottling line, with each task meshing seamlessly with the next; bottles being filled, boxes being unloaded and loaded, pallets being stacked, trucks being unloaded and loaded. I had imagined the bottling line to be more automated, but in reality found a close-knit team tirelessly gluing it all together. It’s no secret that it is repetitive work. It’s also fast-paced, and stretches for months of the year. The bottling crew are true heroes of the winery.

They work hard with skill and care. When harvest comes around, they pivot into very different roles, and bring that same attitude with them. Here we see Ana working in a section of the bottling line that has been divided by perspex screens as a response to the pandemic. We see her reflection and get a glimpse of her neighbors on the line. She is dancing her way through the task, drumming along to Latin beats. There is joy here, which the pandemic-driven precautions cannot suppress. The symmetry and linearity in this image contrast with Ana’s fluid groove.