This is a drawing from my forthcoming exhibition to be held in the Cultúrlann, Belfast. The inspiration comes from a 1000 kilometer walk, from Seville, in southern Spain,  to Santiago de Compostela, in northern Spain, completed by me this year, 2016. It is pencil on paper,  57 X 33 centimeters and called “Manolo and the Ancestors”.

I first met Manolo in Fuenterroble de Salvatierra.  Fuenterroble is a  small village with a population of 296 people.  It has a slightly surreal appearance in that it looks like it has been dropped randomly in the vast expanse of the Spanish Meseta.

It consists of a few streets of houses huddled together against the elements. Padre Blas runs the hostel for pilgrims.  I had intended to visit him as he is renowned for his many years of work both promoting and maintaining the Camino and is something of a Camino legend.  I was beginning to realize that there was more to this experience than just walking and I was hoping to catch a few pearls of inspiration from this much ballyhooed wise man.

The hostel is at the far end of the village.  It has a distinct low set appearance and the interior, in common with most houses in this area, is very dark,  with lots of wooden beams, heavy stone walls and a huge log fire burning in an open-hearth in the main room.   The doors were open, I wandered in but the place seemed to be empty. I was about to leave when a voice called me back.  This was Manolo.

Manolo not only introduced himself but continued talking, in what could only be described as a stream of consciousness, describing his family background, going back several generations, in great detail.   I found this very strange behavior, to say the least. However, it was later explained to me that he had grown up in a very small village of thirty people.  Back in the day, before travel was common and the gene pool was limited, it was very important to know your  genealogy.  It appeared that Manolo was still living back in the day.  Padre Blas eventually joined us. He was friendly and welcoming but the ‘spirit of the Camino’ is getting on in years and rather than being the hoped-for source of inspiration, was content to allowed Manolo the floor.

It turned out to be a very enjoyable and interesting afternoon. I was given a glimpse into another reality, so very different to my own and  I felt that I had to record it.  Manolo not only lived in a world where several generations of ancestors influenced and advised him on his everyday life but also he had no concept and even less interest in modern-day technology. Hence, I have shown him wearing his clockwork thinking cap and with the odd small figure tinkering with the mechanism to ensure smooth running.

The exhibition will open on Thursday 1 December in the Cultúrlann, Falls Road, Belfast.