Architecture

Fidelity

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Fidelity. Havana, Cuba. July 2019.

Fidelity. Havana, Cuba. July 2019.

La Guarida, Havana, Cuba.

The stories of Fidel Castro and Camilo Cienfuegos (the man depicted on the wall) are legendary in modern Cuban history. Tales of victory and loyalty, but also of foul play and jealousy.

Cienfuegos was a loyal compatriot of Castro’s, however many speculate that after the revolution, Castro was responsible for Cienfuegos’ untimely disappearance in 1959. Since his death at 27, Cienfuegos has been an everlasting martyr of the Cuban Revolution. So why does the speculation of Castro’s involvement linger on? It is said that Cienfuegos gained more popularity than Castro post-revolution, which threatened Castro’s position in leadership. If true, it proves once again that politics is about a lot more than just pledging fidelity.

When you ask Cubans or read about their relationship, you will get plenty of opinions supporting one theory or the other. Whether they parted as allies or adversaries remains a mystery, however one thing is certain, Cienfuegos, the charismatic, adventure loving, "Hero of Yaguajay” lives on everywhere in the country.

Curves in All the Right Places

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Curves in All the Right Places. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. May 2019.

Curves in All the Right Places. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. May 2019.

Curves in All the Right Places II. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. May 2019.

Curves in All the Right Places II. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. May 2019.

Frank Gehry designed staircase at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) specifically to see this Frank Gehry creation. I went with my friend Matthew (an incredibly talented painter, http://www.matthewcarver.net/home) and he told me that Gehry actually grew up a stones throw away from the gallery. Gehry and Partners renovated the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2008 and one signature piece of the restoration was this beautiful wooden staircase. The spiral bursts up from the first floor, breaks through the glass covered courtyard, and into the other contemporary gallery floors of the museum. This section connecting the second and third floor is my favorite perspective. From this particular point of view, you can see that the railing keeps curving up higher as someone walks up and instead of becoming parallel with the floor. In this way, if you look over the railing as you ascend or descend, your view of the courtyard disappears in some steps and then returns in others. It is meant to mimic your peekaboo line of sight as if you were riding a wave.

From the view below, the staircase, to me, looks like a piece of ribbon being spun off to one side, tilting off kilter, and adding a bit of movement to the wooden structure.

Jali

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Jali. Delhi, India. June 2018.

Jali. Delhi, India. June 2018.

Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, India. June 2018.

Visiting India was a beautifully noisy experience. There are scores of people at every corner feeding the city its bustling energy. Humayun’s Tomb is one of the most visited sites in Delhi so when I saw this woman sitting alone with her son in one of the exterior niches, I had to capture it.

In June, when it is an average of 98-100°F/37-38°C each day, any shade and breeze is key. Lattice work known as jali, as seen in this window, is not only beautiful, but also serves a functional purpose. Jali helps moderate temperature and air flow, by serving as a natural air conditioner. As air flows through the openings it is compressed and released, when this happens, air becomes cooler. Jali also helps with ventilation as it filters sunlight and increases the movement of air, creating a cross breeze. Without direct sunlight you also get a beautiful soft light indoors.

Not to be a complete creeper, but jali also has privacy benefits. Due to the difference in light, you can see from the inside out and it is difficult to see from the outside in. This meant I could take this shot without disturbing the mother and son outside.

The Little Engine That Could

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The Little Engine That Could. Lisbon, Portugal. May 2018.

The Little Engine That Could. Lisbon, Portugal. May 2018.

Elevador da Bica, otherwise known as Ascensor da Bica, is one of my favorite locations in Lisbon. The Iberian coast is hillier than people expect and Lisbon exemplifies this; it's a vertically layered city.

This particular train runs up a short steep street in Barrio Alto and the tricky part to capturing the trolley car, is that it only runs once every 15 minutes. You can easily spend an hour waiting for the right frame while avoiding unwanted photobombs. It is a short track train and the ride only lasts a few minutes so timing is everything. Bica is a popular destination for visitors (especially Wes Anderson fans) and I went about three or four times during my last visit to try and get as many variations as possible, rain and shine.

For this shot, I went on a Sunday morning for the first run of the train up/down the incline. I stood in this vantage point for awhile so folks passing by knew I was waiting for this shot. Unfortunately, as a sola traveler, you cannot control who walks down into the frame at the precise moment you want to snap. That happened many times before, but thankfully not this time. Right after I took this shot, a group of fellow photogs chasing the train down the incline, came barreling around the corner. I can't hate, we all want the perfect shot of this engine that could. It's damn cute. 

Let Her Glow

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Let Her Glow. Beacon, New York. November 2017.

Let Her Glow. Beacon, New York. November 2017.

Girl meets Flavin. Girl is entranced. Dia:Beacon is the place to go to be completely immersed in contemporary art. The museum is located outside of NYC, along the Hudson River, in Beacon, New York. 

Dia Art Foundation helped spearhead the movement of converting former warehouses and industrial buildings into museums and art spaces. With the help of some artists and architects, including Robert Irwin, Dia:Beacon was converted from a 31 acre Nabisco company printing plant into the immersive art space it is today. 

This girl was sitting in her stroller until her family pulled up in front of this Flavin. Once up on her legs, she strutted immediately towards the lights. I was lucky to snap this shot right before her grandmother came into the frame to prevent her from touching the installation. I get it girl, I want to touch the Flavin too. 

 

Squared Away

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Squared Away. Rome, Italy. March 2016.

Squared Away. Rome, Italy. March 2016.

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (or Colosseo Quadrato) is one of my favorite examples of rationalist architecture. Just outside of Rome in the EUR neighborhood, the palazzo was recently renovated to be the global headquarters for fashion powerhouse Fendi. While I enjoy the aesthetics, it has a bit of a controversial past.

The palazzo was constructed between 1938-1943 and created to showcase Benito Mussolini's grand fascist vision for Rome, Italy, and the world. EUR was created to host the 1942 World's Fair and the palazzo was its centerpiece. It is rumoured that there are nine window arches to match the number of letters in "Mussolini". If you look across the top of the photo you can count: M-U-S-S-O-L-I-N-I.

The plans for the exhibition were actually canceled in 1941 during the finishing of the palazzo and it sat unused for a decade after its completion. The palazzo has open and closed intermittently since 1953, and in 2015 Fendi moved in after a five year public restoration period. Fendi will call the palazzo home at least until 2030. 

I am headed back to Rome this month and will hopefully make it back to visit EUR.