1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): SEBASTIANO RAIMONDO

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): SEBASTIANO RAIMONDO 

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where did you shoot these photographs?

SR: These photographs were shot in the territory of Castelvetrano, in Sicily, Italy. In my work it is very common to use images together has diptychs or triptychs. The first one shows the construction of the town hall (designed by architect Santo Giunta, 2005-2008) and the second one is of the temple "E" in the archaeological area of elinunte (460-450 BC).

HO: When were they shot?

SR: The first one in the Spring of 2007, the second one in the Spring of 2011.

HO: Is there any technical aspect about the process that you want to point out?

SR:  These were shot on film, like most of my work, and then scanned and printed by me.

HO: How did you get to the sites?

SR: The first access to sites was through comission. I worked as an architect in the office that designed the Castelvetranho town hall building and I often visited the archaeological area where the temple is. Both architectures have a clear place in the landscape and a relationship with the public space, although both also in very different ways.

HO: Was there something that you wanted to communicate throught these two images?

SR: I think the diptych may suggest to the viewer - an architect, or not - a reflection on the concept of ruin and of time.

The two photographs, which don't show people, showing the same territory, set a fragment on the evolution of both buildings; the power of the sequence is in the illusion that the two building can advance in relation to the finished form of a pre-existing project, something that already exists in represented in a way, or in relation to the ruin of all artifacts which slowly return - with the help of nature and of the cultural meaning attributed - to a form which can be pre-visualized.

Whatever is the fate of any of those buildings, the photographic image is at the intersection of the two timelines, and as a manifestation of the author's experience, it is a bridge with endless possibilities of reading by any viewer.

HO: Was there anything that you discovered through this diptych?

SR: I realized that the photographic work exists beyond the represented object; its existence is concrete, changeable, and it also lives beyond its author.

Sebastiano Raimondo is an Italian architect and photographer based in Palermo.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): OLIVO BARBIERI

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): OLIVO BARBIERI

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photo taken?

OB: It was shot in Houston, state of Texas (USA), in the Summer of 2012.

HO: What were the conditions there?

OB: It was very hot and sunny and there was no wind.

HO: How did this opportunity come up?

OB: I went to Houston to shot it because it is part of my project “site specific_” about the form the contemporary city.

HO: Are there any particular technical aspects about the photo that you want to point out?

OB: Well, I was shooting from an helicopter, 500 feet above ground.

HO: Why did you select this image?

OB: I selected this image because I found it was interesting to question how and why urban planners or architects and developers decided it was right and necessary to put a kind of Aztec temple on top of a sky scrapper.

Olivo Barbieri is an artist and photographer.

The image and interview are part of the editorial project “1 Photo(grapher)”.

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): FRANCISCO NOGUEIRA

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): FRANCISCO NOGUEIRA

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph shot?

FN: This was shot at the “Boa Entrada” Main Country House, in São Tomé and Príncipe, April 4th, 2013, 12:38.

HO: What were the conditions on site?

FN: The weather was really hot and humid which makes the body be permanently sweating. The smell and sound of the “roça” (country house) is very peculiar. You can hear roosters, goats, kids playing, balls. Because of its configurations and because they are open glades, the very own acoustics of “roças” are special. The smell is also very characteristic, mainly because in the majority of “roças” people and animals cohabit the same spaces. In those places where cocoa is dried there is also a very particular odor.

HO: Are there any technical aspects about the shooting  that you want to point out?

FN: I used a full-frame digital camera and tilt and shift lens.

HO: How did you opportunity happen?

FN: This photograph is part of a work I did for the book “As Roças de São Tomé e Príncipe” (Tinta da China, 2013) in co-authorship with architects Duarte Pape e Rodrigo Rebelo de Andrade. We visited and catalogued 122 “roças” which Duarte and Rodrigo had already identified through a research they were developing at the time. The way we got inside the “roças” was always the same: get in and try and establish a dialogue with the local communities, trying to explain the project and asking for permission to photograph the place. The people of São Tomé are very open and friendly, which meant that in the majority of times there was no problem establishing that connection that allowed us to do our work.

HO: Was this the first time you were there?

FN: It was my first time in São Tomé and Príncipe, but both Duarte and Rodrigo had already been at Boa Entrada “roça” 4 years before and they could see the glass and woodwork of this bow window completely intact.

HO: Why did you select this image?

FN: From all the ones from the “Roças de São Tomé e Príncipe” project I chose this one because I felt that this one encapsulates some of the things that make this reality unique and which should be valued urgently. On one hand it shows the richness of this heritage, on the other hand its very advanced state of degradation. Also because it shows the very social character which is so present and so inseparable from this heritage.

HO: What do you find most interesting about it?

FN: I like this project and particularly this image because of the pleasure it gave to me to do it. It made me realize what type of work do I like the most to do. Somewhere between architecture, travel and reportage.

HO: Is there anything you were trying to communicate through this image?

FN: This entrance area as well as the bow window were added to the original house. It was built in order to receive Prince Luís Filipe at the “roça” while he was visiting São Tomé and Príncipe in 1907.

Francisco Nogueira is an architectural photographer based in Lisbon.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): WALTER MAIR

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): WALTER MAIR

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photo taken?

WM: This is a shot of the stage of the Schauspielhaus Köln (theater), in Cologne, Germany

HO: When was it shot?

WM: In February 2013.

HO: What were the conditions in the space?

WM: Room temperature, heavy bright-dark contrasts from the fluorescent lamps, sound-check in the background, no smell, many people bustling around.

HO: How did you get into the building?

WM: It was through a commission by the Schauspielhaus Köln, Cologne, initiated by the director, Anna Viebrock.

HO: Had you been there before?

WM: Yes, I attended a series of rehearsals for this play to do the pictures for the programme and also for the press.

HO: Why is this photograph so important for you?

WM: The subject matter of the play and of the set design contemplates very much the work of the German artist Gregor Schneider and his "Haus u r" The set design and the decor is partly a reconstruction and recombination of some of the interiors by Gregor Schneider. There is also a very iconographic photograph by the artist with a sculpture of a dead body lying on the floor. The intention was to re-enact this tableau. "My" picture stands for now at the end of a long row of other images and ideas: Gregor Schneider's initial thought and the actually built or transformed space and scenery, photographed and published by Schneider; seen by Anna Viebrock and again transformed and reproduced as the set for the Schauspielhaus Köln, with an actor playing the dead person. It seemed to me as if Sachiko turned the screw even more and did not only play a dead person but could transform herself to this very initial lifeless sculpture made only of shoes, some cloth, stockings, sponge and dust.

Walter Mair is a photographer and architect based in Zurich.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM VAN DE VELDE

1 PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM VAN DE VELDE

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: When and where was this photograph taken?

TV: The photo is one of the Brüder Klaus Field Chapel in Mechernich-Wachendorf, in Germany.

HO: When was it taken?

TV: In  March 15th 2013m at 14h15, but for me that is not that relevant.

HO: What were the conditions there on site?

TV: Although it was already late in the year, the weather conditions were exceptional. There was still snow at that time of the year which does not happen every year, by far. The weather was very capricious that day. At one time you had sun but five minutes later cold windy fog could pass by and snow showers were pinning like needles in your face.

HO: How did you get to the site?

TV: I went to the site on my own hunch. I had been thinking about photographing it for a while just for myself, but when I woke up that day I saw that a big amount of snow had fallen again and weather was open in Brussels. So I decided to get in my car and make the drive to the Chapel. As an architectural photographer you can be drawn to a building and for the Chapel this was certainly the case. The chapel had been photographed before, but I hadn't seen any photos of it in the snow. For me it was a necessity that my photographs were shot with snow. It gives the chapel a more isolated character.

HO: Had you been there before?

TV: No, it was a first time for me. Often I like to photograph sites the first time I get there. I like to take the time then to discover the building and start shooting it during a day while the building little by little reveals itself.

HO: What do you find most interesting about this photo?

TV:  I like the fact that it is a quite straight forward shot of the path under the snow that leads to the chapel surrounded by snow. But it works. Often the simplest of shots work the best. I like the correlation between the environment and the chapel. The open door intrigues somewhat mysteriously but draws you inside. The fence on the left only gives you that option to go to the Chapel. In the back you see the environment of the hills and woods.

HO: Is there any peculiar story about this shooting?

TV: Although the chapel is somewhat isolated outside a village, it is a place of religious prayer and architecturally interested. So people pass by often and enter of course. For this shot I had to get it on the right time, which meant waiting. Here, although the place looks abandoned a person had just entered the chapel for prayer.

HO: Was there something you wanted to communicate through it?

TV: For me architectural photography is often a solitary experience. You work alone and try to grasp the right shots by discovering the building. On this location, where you have to make an effort to get to the chapel with your gear and the totality of weather conditions and the religious character of the chapel made this experience more intense. To me this image has this feeling in it. It was a sort of architectural pilgrimage.

Tim van de Velde is an architectural photographer based in Brussels.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): JUAN RODRIGUEZ

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): JUAN RODRIGUEZ

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph shot?

JR: This photo was shot in Chicago, in 2005, through my hotel room window, looking at the John Hancock Tower. It was late afternoon, while I was preparing my exhibition about Patagonia. That exhabition was held in that building.

HO: Can you specify any technical aspects about the photograph?

JR: It was shot with a Leica M6 and the negative was scanned. The final copy was done with japanese rice paper and printed with mineral ink.

HO: Why did you select this image?

JR: It's part of an exhibition called "Beyond Black" about my own way of looking at architecture. It's part of a bigger discourse.

HO: Was there anything you wanted to communicate through it?

JR: Nothing in particular. But maybe just to say that the texts for the "Beyond Black" book are written by Portuguese friends like Pedro Cabrita Reis and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): MARGHERITA SPILUTTINI

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): MARGHERITA SPILUTTINI

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where was this photograph shot?

MS: The photo was taken in Weerberg-Innerst, a small village in the Alps, situated in a side valley between Wattens and Schwaz in Tyrol, Austria, 1300m above sea level.

HO: When was it shot?

MS: In October 1996.

HO: What were the conditions?

MS: Weather conditions are apparent to the observer on first sight. They are an essential element of the image. Also quite dominant was the smell of a manure heap on the neighboring property. (It is not shown on the particular image but on another photo of this series.)

HO: Are there any particular technical aspects you want to point out?

MS: No, no specific technical aspects. 4x5'', ektachrome film.

HO: How did you get to the site?
MS: By the client who is the architect of the house, Mrs. Margarethe Heubacher-Sentobe.
HO: What do you find most interesting about this image?
MS: In the Alps, especially in the Fall, fog is a frequent weather phenomenon. It contributes to that the mountains are not only perceived as impressively beautiful, but also as threatening and mysterious. Although the building itself is shown in a "shadowy" way and is only vaguely visible, this image was published very often and has obtained a certain degree of prominence.

HO: Is there anything that you were trying to communicate through it?
MS: It is worth to explore a place photographically, especially when circumstances do not correspond to the generally accepted perceptions of "ideal" preconditions. It generates indications that often point out to the qualities of architecture and space more effectively than conventional harmonizing ways of expressions can do.

Margherita Spiluttini is an architectural photographer based in Wien.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): JIM STEPHENSON

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): JIM STEPHENSON

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph taken?

JS: The image is of The Serpentine Gallery's Pavilion for 2013 in Hyde Park, London, England. It was taken at 9:38am on June 4th, 2013.

HO: Was it the first time that you had been there?

JS: I'd been visiting the site for a number of weeks on a commission to document the construction of the pavilion. This was my last day on the job, the opening of the completed structure.

HO: What were the physical conditions on site?

JS: The light was especially good, given the temperamental nature of British summers. The sun was out and the morning haze had lifted. The day was beginning to warm up and I was comfortable in a t-shirt, especially having carried my heavy photographic equipment across the park. Hyde Park is a huge green space in central London and as such combines the peacefulness of a park with the hum of distant traffic to remind you you're still in the city.

HO: Are there any special technical aspects about the photograph?

JS: This is a pretty unsophisticated image, in a technical sense. Whilst photographing the pavilion on it's opening day, I noticed a scrum of press agency photographers clamouring for a photo, so I took my camera off it's tripod and shot it handheld. I ran off a couple of frames and wound up liking this one the best. The foreground (right of frame) is important both for context and to frame the scrum, and as with almost all of my work the vertical planes are at least vertical.

HO: What do you find most interesting about this image?

JS: This building only existed for a matter of months before being taken down (it was planned as a temporary structure) and over the summer it was photographed many, many times by lots of different people, not least on it's opening day. I find this idea, of a scrum of photographers photographing a building quite humorous and perhaps casts a different eye over it. This sort of behaviour is usually the reserve of paparazzi spotting an A-list celebrity. Here, the building is the superstar.

HO: Is there anything that you were trying to communicate through it?

JS: This picture wasn't one I planned to take. It's was very much an impromptu moment, so I can't say I was trying to communicate anything in particular through it. That said, once my images were released and started to be used by magazines, newspapers, blogs and so on, this one usually ended up being the most popular one! I like to show people reacting to architecture and using the space in my work as much as possible and this is at the far end of that - an extreme reaction that is tinted with humour. I goes to show that it's not always the images you think that will have the widest appeal!

Jim Stephenson is an architectural photographer and film-maker. 

The selectect image and interview are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): SIMON KENNEDY

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): SIMON KENNEDY

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph taken?

SK: At the Heygate Estate (Elephant and Castle, London, England), in November 2011.

HO: Had you been there before?

SK: I visited this site on numerous occasions, also I used to live nearby and have been aware of it for many years.

HO: How did this opportunity come up?

SK: I went there specifically a number of times to make this series of images.

HO: What were the condition on site?

SK: Cold, winter, grey morning. The estate was eerily quiet as most of the inhabitants had moved out. It smelled like London.

HO: Are there any technical aspects about the photograph that you want to point out?

SK: This image was the result of a protracted process of investigation and composition, beginning with a digital camera, and ending with the use of a large format camera. The negative was scanned and subjected to a number of digital augmentations.

HO: Why did you select this image?

SK: This image is probably my favorite from the series. I like the fact that the composition is close to symmetrical, but the trees appear to be thriving, even dancing through the space. The image contains a car, suggesting some degree of inhabitation lingers on.

HO: Is there any particular story that happened during the shooting?

SK: While making this series I often ran into film crews who tried to make me move or leave the site. Since they had no authority to do this, I refused to.

HO: What did you want to communicate through this image?

SK: This image is part of a series examining this estate, which while utopian in intent was notorious through its later lifetime for social problems. These photographs were taken when the estate was empty and awaiting demolition and I am curious to see what remains – can the formal architecture reassert itself now that the inhabitants are gone, does the estate make more sense as an empty artefact than it does full? The estates reversing relationship with nature also fascinates me.

Simon Kennedy is a London based architectural photographer.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): NICOLAS GROSPIERRE

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): NICOLAS GROSPIERRE

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO - When and where was this photograph shot?

NG - This was shot in an Indoor swimming pool, at a Balneological Sanatorium in Druskininkai, Lithuania, in October 2003.

HO - What was the sort of conditions on site?

NG - The conditions on site where typical of that of an abandoned building: mild temperature but quite humid, rather dark but contrasty lighting, the silence was interrupted periodically by dripping water droplets, the smell was that of moulded gypsum. On the whole, it was a rather unpleasant atmosphere.

HO - Can you pecify some technical aspects about the shooting?

NG - The actual taking of the picture was quite elementary: long exposure and small aperture for wide depth of field. I used a very wide angle (40 mm) on a Hasselblad camera

HO - How did you get inside?

NG - I broke into this abandoned structure. It was locked, but not all the entrances were hermetically sealed, so I managed to get inside without breaking any windows. I learned about this building through a vintage Soviet book on architecture entitled "The architecture of Soviet Lithuania".

HO - Was it your first time there?

NG - I had been a few weeks earlier on the site, but was not utterly satisfied with the results, and therefore I decided to make another trip to make additional pictures.

HO - Why did you select this image?

NG - I selected this image because it is quite representative of my work, as far as my documenting little known Soviet architecture. I have a strong feeling to the whole series that this image is part of - entitled Hydroklinika - because it is one of the most original and delirious concrete buildings I was able to photograph, and also because it does not exist any longer in this particular form. The whole structure was transformed into an aquapark, and the interiors were destroyed in the process.

HO - What were you trying to communicate through it?

NG - Well, in this part of my work (the documentation of modernist architecture, mostly from the former socialist countries),  I try to convey as objective as possible a view on buildings I deem interesting. Of course, the choice of buildings is subjective, and reflects my preferences, and here one should look for the meaning of this work, and not in the single image. I have been documenting this kind of architecture for 13 years now, because when I started to do it it was quite neglected and unknown. I thought it was interesting because it broke the conventional thinking about socialist architecture (namely that it were mostly boring grey blocks of flats), and that, on the contrary, there were extraordinary gems that should be exposed - and perhaps salvaged. Also, this sometimes crazy architecture showed yet another side of the communist system, that it were able to produce an architecture which need not be economically viable to see the light of day. By this, I am not trying in any way to justify this system, I am simply pointing out that this feature, which ultimately led to its demise (precisely because of the lack of economic accountability) produced also extraordinary results.

Nicolas Grospierre is a Warsaw based photographer.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): GIGI CIFALI

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): GIGI CIFALI

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph taken?

GC: It was taken at the Chadderton Baths, in 2008. It's part of a photographic project called "Absense of Water".

HO: What were the conditions at the site?

GC: Well, some of them were well taken cared of, for example the Soho Baths in London, and Victoria Baths in Manchester. But many of them, even if they were protected by an alarm, were vandalized. The sound of pigeons made these places very spooky,

HO: Are there any particular aspects about the shooting that you want to point out?

GC: Not really. It was important to stay at 3/4 away from the deep end of the pool and make sure the camera - a Hasselblad  503CW - was well centered inside the tank.

HO: How did this project start?

GC: I explored the first site Hornsey baths - now demolished - which was at few steps from my apartment. After that excursion, I started searching for others.

HO: Why did you select this project?

GC: I selected the Chadderton Baths for its beauty deco-style: the white tiles and clear lines made it one of my favorites.

HO: Is there any peculiar story about this photograph?

GC: There is a funny aspect about the permit to photograph these baths. In most cases, the Council rejected the initiative. So, I needed to plan a way to climb inside. In order to find the best access to the building, I would study the planimetry of it, and find myself in weird positions. For once, I did convince the builders to had the access to this particular bath just few hours before its demolition.

HO: What is the most interesting thing about this photograph? What does it reflect?

GC: I have always been interested in memories and in the disappearance of signs that would evoke and testify our history.

Gigi Cifali is an Italian photographer based in Milan and London.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): EDDY JOAQUIM

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): EDDY JOAQUIM

POR HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Onde e quando foi esta fotografia registada?

EJ: Em La Tourette, em França, na manhã de 7 de Julho de 2001.

HO: Quais eram as condições no local?

EJ: A temperatura era amena. A primeira luz da manhã, longas sombras, ligeiramente difusas, serenidade. Os sons sugeriam um mosteiro totalmente funcional e em funcionamento. Serenos devido à função do edifício mas também pelo simbolismo de um local sagrado. O ar estava ligeiramente húmido e fresco, particularmente no sítio onde foi tirada a fotografia, que estava ligeiramente debaixo de terra.

HO: Existe algum aspecto técnico que queira mencionar?

EJ: A imagem foi tirada em rolo fotográfico e por isso está com um pouco de grão e não muito focada devido à pouca iluminação no interior e ao alto contraste proveniente das aberturas de luz acima. Ao longo dos anos, à medida que revisitava esta imagem, as imperfeições técnicas transmitem-me a ideia de que a mesma imagem é verdadeira tendo em conta a minha memória do loca. Possivelmente, as cores foram acentuadas devido ao tipo de rolo fotográfico usado, mas mesmo assim sinto que é a imagem é verdadeira na minha memória do local. Recordo-me que as cores eram muito intensas, em directo contraste com as percepções que eu tinha das obras de Le Corbusier, frequentemente publicadas através de fotografias a preto e branco que pareciam quase clinicas e desprovidas de vida. Quando se está no local é totalmente o oposto e esta fotografia recorda-me isso mesmo.

HO: Como surgiu a oportunidade de fotografar esta obra?

EJ: Por meu próprio interesse. Sou formado como arquitecto e exerço arquitectura e faço questão de visitar edifícios notáveis sempre que posso, tanto para aprender fotografia como para fotografar.

HO: O que é mais interessante para si nesta imagem?

EJ: As cores vibrantes e aparente fortuita composição formal que de alguma forma estava espacialmente muito equilibrada.

HO: Existe algum momento particular ou engraçado sobre este registo?

EJ: Infelizmente não foi uma situação engraçada, mas de qualquer forma muito presente na minha memória. O comboio que me levou à localidade próxima de La Tourette colheu uma pessoa. Ficamos presos numa área rural francesa por algum tempo, enquanto a polícia investigava o que se tinha sucedido. Nunca me esquecerei do som do impacto, que foi imperceptível até ao momento em que compreendemos porque razão o comboio tinha parado subitamente no meio do nada. É uma estranha memória para associar à tão maravilhosa experiência de visitar um edifício tão notável e tranquilo, no entanto estranhamente apropriado, um complemento à beleza inesperada do edifício.

HO: Existe algo que quisesse comunica através desta imagem?

EJ: Bem, ao longo de anos, nas viagens subsequentes que fiz a outros edifícios de Le Corbusier não apenas reforçaram a minha admiração pela humanidade dos seus espaços. Eles são muito mais do que sensorialmente sedutoras e confortáveis do que alguma vez alguém possa pensar olhando apenas para uma fotografia!

Eddy Joaquim é fotógrafo e arquitecto.

A imagem e entrevista seleccionadas fazem parte do projecto editorial "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): DUCCIO MALAGAMBA

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): DUCCIO MALAGAMBA

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where was this image taken?

DM: It is an exterior image of the Dalian Congress Centre in Dalian, China by Coop Himmelb(l)au Architects.

HO: Had you been there before?

DM: No, it was my first time in Dalian and just my second trip to China.

HO: When was is taken?

DM: I can remember that the photo was taken in the afternoon of a day at the beginning of December 2013.

HO: How did you end up registering this?

DM: I was commissioned by the architects to portrait their building.

HO: What were the conditions at the site?

DM: The area is close to the seaside and at the moment of the shooting there was a chilly sea breeze. Very chilly, actually, as in those days the temperature was around 10/15 degrees below zero. The site was almost silent as the workers already ended their working day and the traffic was far away. The entire afternoon had been cloudy, but getting closer to the sunset the sky opened up a little and a mild light timidly appeared.

HO: Are there any technical aspects of the photograph that you want to point out?

DM: Well, to work in cold conditions is always very demanding, both for the photographer and the equipment. Nevertheless I have to point out that in one week of work under those harsh climatic conditions I never had specific problems with the batteries or the camera.

HO: Why did you select this image among so many others?

DM: I find many reasons to like this image. First of all, I love its surreal atmosphere. The three figures look very small and lost in such an unusual surroundings, I also find very funny that the closest one wears a safety mask. This detail immediately transmits the sensation of an unsafe ambience. It somehow contributes to convert the Congress Centre into a space ship that possibly contaminated the area. Or perhaps the ship is there to evacuate the surprised and disoriented survivors from this post disaster landscape… I find the image satisfactory also looking at it from a more orthodox point of view: thinking to it just as an architecture photography it shows the building perfectly lightened, enhancing the peculiarity of its form and reflecting skin. The relationship with the surroundings is clearly expressed and finally the figures add scale and some action. Another aspect I like of this image is its balanced composition with almost one half of the image dominated by a “crescendo” of dark other half relying on a bright horizontal volume.

HO: Was there anything particular that you were trying to communicate through this image?

DM: I was definitely interested in showing the very peculiar context where the building was standing and I was fascinated by the contrasts in terms of scale and aesthetic. But let me reproduce what Architectural Review’s Editor Catherine Slessor said about my picture during an interview in port-magazine.com. She perfectly describes what I had in mind and, of course, she is able to express it much better than I could ever do when we come to English:

“It’s simultaneously beautiful and bleak – the beautiful new building like a delicate piece of sculpture or haute couture set against the backdrop of a still terraforming cityscape of bleak and anonymous skyscrapers. It’s exceptionally evocative of our times and how architecture is being relentlessly commodified, used as a bauble to prettify what is essentially a terrifyingly banal and overscaled urban development being realised at breakneck speed. By pulling back to include the wider context, Malagamba invites you to consider a much more revealing and complex picture.”

Duccio Malagamba is a photographer and architect.

The selected image and interview are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): DAVID LEVENTI

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): DAVID LEVENTI

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph shot?

DL: It was shot in the Koepel Panopticon Prison, Arnhem, in the Netherlands, May 23, 2011 at 8:44pm.

HO: What were the conditions on site?

DL: Stark, comfortable temperature, industrial lighting, quiet, smell of smoke and burnt food from a cell microwave.   

HO: Is there any technical aspect of the shooting that you want to point out?

DL: I photographed the domed prison from the spot on the floor that allows for a near-perfect compositional contrast with my opera houses, which are shot from the spot at center stage where a performer would stand. I work with a large format camera so that I have the utmost control in making sure the composition of the image is architecturally symmetrical. I pay close attention to ensuring the lines are straight for perfect repetition and that the curves of the convolutions of ceiling and higher and lower catwalks are parallel and emphasize Euclidean geometry. With this camera, I am also able to flatten out space to make it look more like a painting. For instance, the industrial chandelier hangs down, but it looks askew, as if it is tilted toward you. I want the viewer to experience what it feels like to be surrounded by the space.

HO: How did you get inside the site?

DL: Through a barter agreement.

HO: What do you find most interesting about this image?

DL: The panopticon. On first inspection, I don't believe that the viewer identifies the interior as a prison. The ceiling of the prison reminds me of the tartan pattern now made famous by Burberry.  

HO: Is there anything that you were trying to communicate through this photograph?

DL: The domed prison is the closest example of Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon model of mass surveillance prison design - a central guard tower with a complete view of surrounding prison cells. This concept was designed so a central observer could monitor all of the prisoners at once, without any particular prisoner being able to feel under inspection. The domed prison has the same architectural structure as an opera house (without the opulence), but the difference is in who is observing whom. In an opera house, the audience of many is observing a few. In the domed prison, it's the reverse.

David Leventi is NY based photographer.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROLA MERELLO

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)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ALESSANDRA CHEMOLLO

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ALESSANDRA CHEMOLLO

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph shot?

AC: It was shot outside the Marco de Canavezes Church (Portugal), designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira, on April 4th, 1999 (Easter Sunday) around noon.

HO: What were the condition on site?

AC: It was Spring, there was Sun and perfume.

HO: Are there any technical aspects about the shooting that you would like to point out?

AC: This photograph was shot with Silvestri 6x9 view camera (Italian brand), analogue, movable. It is a simplification of a view camera but it shares the fact that the stages of frame selection and shutter are two different moments, it is necessary to remove the support to see in the glass the reversed image of the reality that you want to register, and replace it with the pack that contains the film. It means that when you shoot you are not looking through the camera. This kind of introduces a new element on scene: the photographer, whose face is normally covered by the camera, and relates to the subject depicted in a frontal way. The camera on the tripod will only shoot when the photographer activates the shutter. 

HO: How did this opportunity happen?

AC: By commission. It was a work I did for "Catalogo Electa - Alvaro Siza - Opera Completa".

HO: Had you been there before?

AC: I had been there a few days before for the project briefing, and I then decided to go there again for Easter Mass, which is the only occasion in the year where the whole door is open.

HO: Why did you select this image?

AC: I chose it because I believe that what I decided and what fate decided both perfectly met at the precise moment adding a new sense to the architectural project through the photographical contents.

HO: Is there anything particular about it?

AC: I must say that everything portrayed in the image is absolutely true and unintentional, no one was posing for the photograph.

HO: Was there anything that you were trying to communicate through it?

AC: On this I should step back and let who know better than me: "If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera" Lewis Hine

Alessandra Chemollo is an italian photographer.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ASIER GOGORTZA

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ASIER GOGORTZA

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where and when was this photograph taken?

AG: This was shot from the “Free Square” also known as the “pediment” of the Gehasto neighborhood, in a town called Itsasu (Lapurdi, Basque Country), in a January afternoon, in 2013.

HO: What were the conditions on site?

AG: It was a very cloudy day, but there was a lot of light. In every photograph done for this project, I was looking for similar lighting conditions, avoiding direct sunlight exposure, using the clouds as a natural diffuser in order to achieve a neutral and smooth atmosphere.

HO: Is there any technical aspects you want to point out?

AG: Just like in the rest of the series I opted by putting the pediment centered in the image at a fixed height. 

HO: How did you get to the site?

AG: The first time I went there it many years ago by chance, in one of my aimlessly trips in that area. At that time, I did't have in mind this series on pediments, but the place seemed very special and for years I went there in many occasions. I would say that this specific space is what inspired me to make this photographical series on pediments. I am sure that I repeated this series more than seven times, in different days, with different lights, during a period of time longer than one year. It turned out to me a small obsession.

HO: Is there a funny story about this particular photograph?

AG: From my house, it takes me about one hour to get there by car, and sometimes I would go alone, mas in most of the times I would go with Marga, my partner. Weekend would come and I would ask her: "Let's go see the Itsasu pediment?" and she would always be happy to go with me, maybe she would even be more excited than me. Sometimes we would get there and I wouldn't even take my camera because the light wasn't the one I wanted. In the next weekend the same thing would happen. By the time I took a photograph which I was satisfied with, our son Ladix was already four months young and the first time we went there Marga wasn't even pregnant. However, today I am amazed by the fact that she never said denied going there with me to see the "pediment".

HO: Is there anything that you were trying to communicate throught the image?

AG: I think that this is one of the images from this series that better explains what I was looking for, and although it is still difficult for me to put it into words, I wanted to address the pediment as an architectonical element, to address its functionality, its symbolism for Basques, its aesthetics.... and also its intervention in the landscape, the relation created between the building and the surrounding... I would say that it was a reasearch process on aesthetics.

Asier Gogortza is a photographer based in the Basque Country.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ANNA POSITANO

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): ANNA POSITANO

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: Where did you take this photograph?

AP: I took this photograph in London (UK), within the Olympic site. This is the Copper Box by MAKE Architects and Populous. In front of it is Monica Bonvicini's sculpture RUN.

HO: When was it shot?

AP: It was in early May 2012, before the Olympic games.

HO: What were the conditions on site?

AP: London was quite cold for the season. It did not rain, yet it was wet and the sky was gray.

HO: Can you share some of the most technical aspects about this photograph?

AP: For most of the commissions I usually work with my view camera on a tripod. In this case I used a medium format Pentax and no tripod, because it would have been too tricky and tiring to wander with all that weight around a 560 acre site all by myself.

HO: How did you get to the site?

AP: The Italian magazine Casabella informally tasked me to shoot the Olympic site for their July editorial. To be honest, I got in with a ticket for the waterpolo match and no photography pass.

HO: Why did you select this photograph? 

AP: I like this photograph, even though it is not my favourite ever. I have chosen it because this is the toughest picture among the most difficult shooting I have ever done (for now!). And it was totally worth the effort, because after the publication on Casabella my work got way better.

HO: Is there any peculiar event that happened in the preparation for this photograph?

AP: Today I can say that all the experience of the Olympic shooting was funny, though at the time it was just crazy and tough to me.

As I mentioned, I was informally tasked by the magazine. That means no photography pass for granted, no expenses cover and insane deadline: They would only buy the pictures, take it or leave it. Right before they called me in April, my business was in deep water. The conditions they offered were not actually meeting my needs, but I told myself: 'It could be the last time I do this job. If it works, great. If not, it's not a big deal.' Then I borrowed the money, got a cheap flight to London and asked some friends to put me up.

The magazine was interested in the completed Olympic site, therefore they recommended not to show anything related to the construction sites. Since the editorial was entitled 'London 2012. The Running City' they also told me to pay great attention to Bonvicini's sculpture RUN. Well, you can imagine my dismay when I found that the Copper Box and RUN were entirely behind a closed fence. The security was all over the Olympic site (a guard every 20-30 meters) and I could not climb the fence without being arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. When I was about to give up, I ran into a builder getting out of the construction site from a little door. I asked, I begged him to let me in. After a couple of no-no-no, I started weeping; then he left the door open and told me: 'I didn't see you!'

I shot my photos and did not get arrested. Casabella published most of my photographs and I still work as an architectural photographer. A sort of happy end.

HO: Is there anything valuable to take out of that experience?

AP: What happened during this shooting is a great lesson to me. I had the proof that being genuinely determined in achieving your goals can make the difference.

Anna Positano is a Genoa based photographer who works under commission for architects and magazines.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): AMANDA LARGE & YOUNES BOUNHAR

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1 PHOTO(GRAPHER): AMANDA LARGE & YOUNES BOUNHAR

BY HUGO OLIVEIRA

HO: What is this image about and where was this it taken?

AL&YB: This photo depicts one of the Absolute Towers by Beijing's MAD Architects and was taken in Mississauga, ON, just west of the city of Toronto, in Canada.

HO: When was it taken?

AL&YB: It was taken on June 3, 2013 at 12:54pm. The time is a crucial element in this photograph.

HO: What were the conditions at the site?

AL&YB: The photograph was taken at high noon time on a beautiful, almost cloudless late spring day.

HO: Can you mention any technical aspects about the shooting?

AL&YB: Most people are surprised when we tell them that this photo has seen very little post-processing and is essentially as taken in camera. It is even more astonishing for many, when we explain that it was taken at noon! The key to this photograph was to take advantage of the very strong sun lighting the edge of the tower, thus creating a very large contrast area between that edge and the background. In deliberately underexposing the frame, we purposefully isolated said edge from its surroundings as if it were floating in space.

HO: How did this opportunity appear?

AL&YB: This was a commission for "Canadian Architect" magazine. This particular image later became the cover photograph for the magazine.

HO: Had you been there before?

AL&YB: No. We had been meaning to take a trip out there to photograph the towers for the fun of it, so the assignment was the icing on the cake.

HO: Is there anything peculiar about the moment when you shot the photograph?

AL&YB: In fact this was the very first image of the building we made. We arrived early on site and made this image while waiting for our contact from the developer's office.

HO: Why did you select this image and is there anything you were trying to communicate through it?

AL&YB: We have always liked the Absolute Towers and had them on our must-shoot list for a while. The towers had been heavily covered in national and international media and had been photographed ad nauseam, so we wanted to do something that like the towers had a special cachet. Something that not only highlighted the towers' main features – in this case the curvaceous lines and reflective surfaces – but that also underscored their uniqueness in the Mississauga landscape. As photographers, we tend to be mostly drawn to the quality of light at the edges of the day. Sunset, sunrise and twilight will generally make buildings look their best. However, we don't just apply a standard formula on a shoot; rather, each building is unique and has special characteristics that define it. These characteristics will define how we approach the building from a photographic standpoint.  In this case, we basically broke one of the biggest "rules" of photography, which advises against shooting at noon. Given the towers' reflective surface, anything that is directly struck by sunlight is going to be much, much brighter than the rest. The position of the sun was such that the entire front curve of the tower was lit up, while the rest was several orders of magnitude darker. Therefore, instead of exposing the frame as the camera suggested, we chose to underexpose it drastically. In this way, the curve was perfectly exposed while the rest of the scene was plunged into darkness thus providing an abstract and unique quality to the photo.

Amanda Large & Younes Bounhar are architectural photographers based in Canada.

The image and interview selected are part of the editorial project "1 Photo(grapher)".

Exposição "Sedimento" - Maria Oliveira

Exposição "Sedimento"

Projecto fotográfico de Maria Oliveira

A exposição “Sedimento”, um projeto fotográfico de Maria Oliveira, inaugurou quarta-feira, 3 de novembro, no Centro Interpretativo do Mundo Rural, no Vimieiro.

A exposição pode ser visitado até dia 10 de fevereiro de 2019, de quarta-feira a domingo, das 10 às 13 e das 14 às 18 horas.

Centro Interpretativo do Mundo Rural

Maria Oliveira é uma autora que já participou em diversas residências artísticas, tem exposições individuais e coletivas e possui no seu curriculum já diversos prémios, estando representada na coleção do MAR-Museu de Arte do Rio.

BIOGRAFIA

Nasceu em Ponte de Lima (1982) e reside, actualmente, no Porto.  Entre 2016 e 2017 foi artista residente da Ci.clo - Plataforma de Fotografia, onde desenvolveu o projecto ‘Guardar o fogo para dias de pouca luz’, que integrou a exposição coletiva itinerante, patente em vários locais em Portugal e no estrangeiro. Em 2017, expôs no Colégio das Artes, em Coimbra, o trabalho ‘Sedimento’ e participou na exposição Atlántica Colectivas do Festival Fotonoviembre, em Tenerife. O projecto ‘sob vigia dos animais antigos’ foi exposto no FotoRio (Rio de Janeiro), Festival Outono Fotográfico (Ourense), Galeria More Than A Gallery (Paris). Participou nas publicações A Process, Der Greif Magazine (Alemanha), Cadernos de Imagens, Cineclube de Guimarães e Revista Golpe D’Asa e em diversas plataformas online. Foi selecionada para a Leitura de Portfolios da PhotoEspaña (PHE) em 2016, vencedora do Festival Audiovisual Black & White, em 2015 e 2007 e do Concurso Portugalidades, em 2012.  Integra a colecção do MAR-Museu de Arte do Rio.

mariaoliveira.fotografia@gmail.com