Sasha Bush

Howland Public Library — 313 Main St.

The series Portraits of Savegre, developed as part of a project documenting and compiling the oral history of the village of Savegre, in Costa Rica, in 2008. Savegre, a small village in south-central Costa Rica remained isolated from local and national urban centers up until fairly recently. However, new developments in infrastructure such as paved roads, electricity and especially, anew high school have permanently changed this. Community members now have the opportunity for greater access to participate in the national and international spheres outside the village. The oral history of Savegre was created as a collaborative project with members of the community. I interviewed villagers of all ages, some descendants of or themselves a part of the original migration that would eventually create and found the village of Savegre. While there are overlapping layers of time, due in part to the overlapping of ages of people interviewed, Savegre’s history can be broken up into three stages with a possible fourth. The first begins with the original families that founded the village whose remaining members age ranges from 70 to 90. Coming after them and forming the second stage are their children, and grandchildren who collectively created the first generation to be born and raised in the established village. These members age ranges from 30 to 50. Members of the third stage, the second generation born in Savegre, ages range from 30 to 12 years old. Many people from this group have started and continue to leave the village in order to study in universities. Their younger siblings already take for granted this newly gained access to higher education. With these two last stages in Savegre’s development the continuation and survival of the village has come into question as many people from the older generation doubt the ability of the village to regenerate and recover. These photographs seek to give a face to some of the many people who contributed to this oral history. Clearly the village’s history cannot be read and understood in a direct line from founders to great-great grandchildren. Yet, these photographs represent people from all four intertwining stages in Savegre’s history. As with oral history itself, the photographs are openended concerning the last stage since it is still developing.

Sasha Bush grew up in Poughkeepsie. Studying at Hampshire College in Western Massachusetts, he graduated in 2005 with a BA in photography and Latin American Studies. The four years away from Poughkeepsie proved to be invaluable, allowing him to return home with fresh eyes and a new appreciation for the area. Currently Sasha is freelancing for the Brooklyn Downtown Star and Queens Ledger. He continues to work on a number of ongoing projects around the Hudson Valley, mainly focusing in the field of photojournalism and portraiture.

www.sashabush.com