This article originally appeared on Noisey en Español. Leer en Español.
Daniel Motta is a Brazilian photographer and designer who relocated to Medellín, Colombia in January 2017 for work. Raised in São Paulo, Brazil, he first became a fan of metal through Sepultura’s power-packed sound—he connected with the strength of the genre, and has since dedicated much of his life’s work to the spontaneity of daily life and the finite details of urban interventions. This is evident in his book Me Dê Um Conselho (in English, Give Me A Tip), which was the end result of a day he spent walking through the streets of São Paulo with a wooden box, asking strangers to write practical advice on a piece of paper and drop it into the container. It’s also visible in his documentary Fale Com Estranhos (Talking to Strangers), in which he walks through the city with a companion and records the conversations they had with people along the way.
Since arriving in Medellín, Motta decided to explore the city and get acquainted to it through its metal scene. Thus was born Los metaleros de Medellín, a multi-platform project that captures the people who make up one of the most extreme and important music scenes in Latin America. Motta has entered the concerts and rehearsals and gone out into the streets to document the characters who love the genre. But he doesn’t just take photos—he also keeps a sort of diary that can be found on his blog.
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Motta says he’s been impressed by the bands he’s encountered in Colombia, and especially Medellín’s metal history—its connection with Mayhem and the characters who’ve forged this scene, such as Mauricio “Bull Metal” Montoya and Victor Raul Jaramillo “Piolin.” By the end of 2017, he plans to make a fanzine with his photos and texts, but for now you can check out his blog and Instagram for every touch, rehearsal, or night of beer and metal.
You can see more of Motta’s work below and also on his website.
Translated by Meredith Balkus.
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