1 PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROLA MERELLO
BY HUGO OLIVEIRA
HO: Where and when was this photograph shot?
CM: This photograph was shot at Siemens Pilot Paradigm Shift, in Bicocca area, Milan, Italy, in 2012.
HO: What were the conditions on site.
CM: The pictures were shot in Autumn, taking advantage of a soft and diffused light which muffled the contrast that is typical of this kind of spaces with huge and long series of windows.
HO: How did this opportunity show up?
CM: This work was commissioned by architects Barreca & La Varra, whom I have collaborated with on several occasions over the past few years.
HO: Why did you select this picture in particular?
CM: I selected this picture because I believe that the photography of office spaces is often looked down on. Although these environments are by nature sad and dehumanized, over the last few years many architectural firms have striven to transform them into more pleasant, polished and comfortable places to work in.
From my point of view this photo is particularly interesting because of its render-like effect. I deliberately created an image that produces an unreal effect, such as in architectural renderings, thanks to its extreme cleanliness, the use of light and the rigorous geometrical structure. Contrary to the norm, it is not the rendering that aims to get as close as possible to reality but the photo that somehow mimics the rendering.
Carola Merello is an architectural photographer based in Milan.
The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".