Flowery Land: Tales of Hidden Florida
The famed Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de León, reached the shores of Florida on April 2, 1513. This would become the first successful European voyage to North America. Upon realizing the beauty of the virgin landscape, abundant with wild flowers, he was inspired to name it: "Flowery Land".
However, mainstream history often fails to highlight one very important aspect of the Spaniard's motivations: although it wasn’t known until long after his passing, the conquistador and his crew of 200 were secretly on the hunt for the mythical fountain of youth! Today the alleged fountain site is located in a Ponce De León inspired theme park in St. Augustine Florida. Where for the admission price of twelve U.S. dollars one can sample immortality. Visitors report it tastes, quite literally, like swimming-pool water.
Fast forward to present day, America's southern-most state is world renown for It’s tourist destinations. It’s lavish theme parks, pristine beaches, and happening night life scene, which all together bring in an estimated yearly influx of hundreds of thousands of tourists. As with any other popular vacation destination, there exists a vast schism between the visitor’s experience and that of the it’s locals.
This series is a grassroots view of the "Sunshine State". Florida as experienced from a perspective of mundanity. Homegrown quirks overlooked on a touristic voyage. You won't find any bustling beaches filled with basking bodies, or any trace of neon artifice. The subject matter could even be described as uneventful. However, there remains a particular aesthetic quality inherent only to Florida. A certain air of sunshine kitsch, endowed with a particularly tacky charm,l that interweaves with it’s unique natural landscape. We’ll meet the people that dwell here and journey into the heart of places unseen. As with Ponce de León's chlorinated fountain of youth, let’s see what Florida really tastes like.
