ENTRY DESCRIPTION
I spent the last two months (June – August 2015) capturing the lifestyle of the residents of Hogar Para Ancianos, a nice cottage-like senior citizen home in the town of San Ramon, Costa Rica. Much of the time, the residents there can be found sitting in old wooden rocking chairs or giant comfortable black leather recliners, listening to music, chatting, and reflecting on a long life in the warm sun and soft breeze.

Although the language barrier between English and Spanish limited our conversations, I enjoyed listening to their stories and I feel honored to have been allowed into the community. It was a pleasure transitioning from a stranger to becoming friends with the residents.

There are many stories captured in the faces of these senior citizens. This project reinforces that elders are important to society. The close-up portraits are meant to capture the essence of each individual person, and convey that presence to the viewer. While photographing, I felt inspired by their perseverance in overcoming adversity. Many of the residents have physical ailments, yet are still happy and greet me with a smile everyday.

Through this experience, I have witnessed that the process of life is very much a looping circle as we return to dependency on others as we age, similar to our infancy at the beginning of our life. This further reiterates the notion that we are all connected and life is about helping others and in return receiving help as well. The product of one's life is measured in how you helped others as we all need help in this world.

AUTHOR
Bio:
Dan Fenstermacher's work explores how life extends beyond oneself. He uses photography to collaborate with communities and tell stories about global cultural interaction. Dan Fenstermacher was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He is currently a student at San Jose State University working towards his MFA. Photographing for ten years, his work has been featured at the San Ramon Museum, Costa Rica; First Street Gallery, New York; and in the exhibition Divergence: Emerging Legacies at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Artist Statement:
My photography involves the viewer in an investigation of personal inner exploration. Through capturing the essence of people I interact with in my surrounding environment, I attempt to relate my perspective of the world to the viewer.

My work demonstrates how life extends beyond oneself and tells the stories about challenges people overcome. Through community collaboration, I challenge the boundaries of global cultural interaction we continually construct between ourselves and that which is unfamiliar, examining the comparisons and contrasts between our own lives and the lives of others.

I challenge issues of violence in the community, the inherent nature of the human spirit, material excess, and most recently began focusing on social awareness concerning Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Through art and advocacy, my photography serves as the foundation that gives purpose to my life.

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