Saul Flores, NC State alumnus, took this photo in Panajachel, Guatemala and titled it “Merge/Unir.”" />
Photo Courtesy of Saul Flores
Saul Flores, NC State alumnus, took this photo in Panajachel, Guatemala and titled it “Merge/Unir.”
NC State alumnus Saul Flores took any mode of transportation including walking, hitchhiking and canoeing in the summer of 2010 to travel across 10 Latin American nations as a metaphor for the journeys that millions of immigrants take to reach the United States. He documented his journey of 5,328 miles from Quito, Ecuador to Charlotte through the art of photography.
Five years later, NC State welcomes back Flores to reflect and present his photography and experiences Thursday at 7 p.m. at Hunt Library in the iPearl Immersion Theater. His presentation titled, “The Walk of the Immigrants” is being brought to the public by NCSU Libraries and the North Carolina Museum of History’s exhibition of “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History.”
“He captures the beauty of everyday life,” said Marian Fragola, NCSU Libraries’ director of program planning and outreach, as she admired one of Flores’ photographs that features a woman walking in front of a vibrant building with a basket of goods on her head.
His project, “The Walk of the Immigrants,” includes photographs from the 10 countries he traveled to including: Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.
“‘The Walk of the Immigrants’ was meant to act as an image narrative that teaches empathy, and reminds our cultures of the commonalities that we have as people,” Flores wrote on his website. “Throughout my journey I captured the cultural values, the struggles, and most prominent issues of these countries through images. It is the story of Latin America, and the people of Latin America, and then creating a window to share that with the other cultures of the world.”
Fragola said she likes the idea of bringing Flores back to campus as he has had time to reflect and introduce his work to new audiences.
In response to the invitation to participate in the “Latino Americans: 500 years of History” event and NCSU Libraries’ event, Flores stated, “For the last few years, I’ve pretty much spent my time on the back of trucks looking for adventure and taking photographs. My love for storytelling has taken me across the world. Now, that same love for people is taking me to [NC State and North Carolina History Museum].”
In addition to his photographs, his journeys and art have deep personal connections. Flores’ mother emigrated to the United States from Atencingo, Mexico in search of better opportunities and educational resources. In honor of his heritage and cause, Flores gives the proceeds from his sold photographs to fund an elementary school in Atencingo called General Emiliano Zapata. According to Flores his photography is not only an art form that expands the perspective of individuals but it is also a source of opportunity for students.
Through his philanthropy, art and perspective, a global impact has been made as he has reached over 40,000 followers from over 140 countries and has been broadcasted in more than 135 cities in the United States.
Flores’ influence spans across avenues, promoting “education, empathy and humanity” and he continues to share his experiences at events such as the one taking place on campus.
In addition to the continuation of sharing “The Walk of the Immigrants,” Flores is working on a follow up project called “Skin of Natives,” and is currently a graphic designer and CEO for Pixbit in Raleigh.
“One of my favorite things is to feature the work of NC State students,” Fragola said. “I am excited for people to see Saul’s passion and how he made it into something positive. He travels with a mission and an eye to the people, and I would like to get more people aware of his work.”
As a result, “The Walk of Immigrants” presentation is an opportunity to see a vision come to life and to view other nations and cultures.
Flores’ presentation is free and open to the public. His photographs are digitally displayed in D.H. Hill Library in the back of the Learning Commons and at the Hunt Library on the iPearl Immersion Theater screen prior to and after the day of the presentation.