JOÃO PEREIRO DE SOUSA: IN BETWEEN
scopio aboveground: city
VCI is a life-long romance between the city of Oporto and its fellow citizens. It began its construction in 1963 and half a century later, in 2007 it was finally finished in its whole extension of 21km. In Portuguese VCI stands for Via da Cintura Interna or Inner Ring Road and it also means faster access to the whole city or a great way to connect the city with the national Motorways. But in reality VCI stands for city struggle, urban voids, and headaches to the everyday traveller.
All in all, VCI is a life-long problem that the city of Oporto faces since it was first planned. The urban knife-cut that it generates is extremely visible along its extension and even after 48 years of existence, the city has not been capable of absorbing it and healing the wounds it inflicted.
This series of ten photographs intend to reveal the amount of cities within a city that clearly exist along VCI. The photographs are arranged in couples, looking from a viewpoint through the road and towards the city behind it. Every photograph represents the city of Oporto and they clearly reveal two opposite realities: the inner side of the road (odd numbers) and its outer side (even numbers). But despite our common sense, these two realities can merge together into a new reality. Because they all live with the same neighbouring road and within the same limbo.
It is urgent to act and to resolve the problems that lie along this road. In the future the city will need to put an end to this long distance romance and to rejoin its better half in order to live happily ever after.
Every photograph represents the city of Oporto and they clearly reveal two opposite realities: the inner side of VCI (odd numbers) and its outer side (even numbers).
Technical notes
João Pereira de Sousa
10 Untitled photographs from series "in between", 2011
60 x 60 cm
Digital Print, Fine Art Hahnemühle paper
Contact
hello@joaopereiradesousa.com