Beauty in Brutalism

Beauty in Brutalism. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. August 2017.

Washington, D.C., USA. August 2017.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is one of the more interesting brutalist buildings in D.C. Modernist Marcel Breuer designed the building and included two of his style signatures: the concrete curve and the deep-set rectilinear windows. The "curvilinear" shape of this 10-floor building was designed to ensure the maximum amount of light to shine into the offices while the seemingly endless grid of windows reminds you just how immense the concrete structure is. I am not typically drawn to brutalism, but HUD is striking to me because it integrates these two opposing design aspects. 

Enter the Matrix

Enter the Matrix. Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.

Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017. 

Thanks to a tip from my co-worker, Bibilioteca Vasconcelos made it to the top of the "must visit" list for Mexico City. Walking into this massive library is like walking into the matrix: angular and futuristic. The uneven composition, transparent floors, and "floating" bookshelves make this one of the most unique public institutions I have ever seen. 

Bibilioteca Vasconcelos is named after José Vasconcelos, former president of UNAM (Autonomous University of Mexico) and a man who reformed the Mexican education system. This space was designed by Mexican architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar and was inaugurated in 2006 after three years of construction. This massive library holds roughly 470,000 books throughout its six floors. This "megalibrary" is actually a fusion of five libraries into one with each individual library dedicated to a famous Mexican thinker: Ali Chumacero, Carlos Monsiváis, José Luis Martínez, Jaime García Terrés, and Antonio Castro Leal. 

A tip if you would like to take photos with a camera—you will have to "register" and sign an agreement (en español) that your photos are for non-commercial use. Upon entering, ask a security guard where to register your camera, they will point you to a small desk on the ground floor on the opposite side of the main entrance. You will be escorted downstairs to their office to sign the paperwork; the whole process takes about 10 minutes. 

Besos Por Soumaya

Besos Por Soumaya. Mexico City, MX. March 2017. 

Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017. 

Museo Soumaya is the most visited museum in Mexico and for good reason. The museum is deceptively large, six stories with over 66,000 pieces of art. The most impressive part of the museum (in my opinion) is the top floor that houses founder Carlos Slim's collection of Rodin casts, the largest collection of casts outside of France, 380 to be exact. 

Speaking of Rodin, this sweet moment on the steps of the Soumaya reminds me of his sculpture "The Kiss". It was drizzling and dusk as I was leaving the museum; when I glanced back to admire the architecture, I saw this couple sharing un beso. 

Museo Soumaya itself is quite a romantic structure. It is named after Slim's late wife Soumaya who passed in 1999. Slim began collecting art largely due to Soumaya's influence. He built this version of the museum and dedicated it in her honor in 2011. Soumaya was a fan of Rodin's work and that is why Slim has collected so many of the works over the years. 

Glass Ceiling

Glass Ceiling. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

Named after Italy's first king, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II connects two of Milan's most famous landmarks, Teatro Alla Scala and The Duomo. Construction was completed in 1877 and it is officially the world's oldest shopping mall. The cast iron and glass ceiling roof was one of the first of it's kind (along with a few others like Galerie du Roi (Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert) in Brussels and Galleria Umberto I in Naples), however the dimensions of this ceiling and arcade were much larger than any of the predecessors. The galleria was an international effort in terms of design and construction, especially when it came to the gleaming roof—the ironwork was produced and installed by the French craftsman Henry Joret and the glass plates were also manufactured in France. In a strange and tragic twist, the architect behind the galleria, Giuseppe Mengoni, passed away the day before the galleria was to be inaugurated after falling from the roof while inspecting the final decorative details. 

Mengoni's vision stands as one of the busiest and most photographed places in Milan. It is a beautiful landmark and during the World's Fair in 2015, the U.S. Pavilion in partnership with the James Beard Foundation created a fine dining restaurant from this space on the top floor of the arcade and this is where I captured this shot.

Private Vaporetto Ride

Private Ride. Venice, Italy. September 2015.

Huashan 1914

Huashan 1914. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

Huashan 1914 Creative Park is an artistic enclave in the heart of Taipei. This complex was restored and reopened as a multi-purpose creative space in 2005. The buildings were originally part of a large wine factory opened in 1914 to produce sake, ginseng wine, and breed moth orchids. After switching hands several times, the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs took control of the complex and started a complete reconstruction of it. The Creative Park is now home to traveling art exhibitions, painters, writers, wood carvers, theatre groups, directors, as well as an event space. When I visited, the park was hosting seperate exhibitions on Gaudi's architecture, Paul Smith's studio, and an exhibition of Nathan Sawaya's work, oh, and numerous photo shoots, of course.

Dancheong

Dancheong. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.  

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of the "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul. Construction of Gyeongbokgung began in 1395 and the palace became the main royal residence during the Joseon Dynasty for roughly three hundred years before a fire swept through and demolished the grounds. The palace has been through two major restorations, each one expertly restoring the palace closely to its original design and color. 

This is the interior of Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, where the King would host formal audiences and deliver official speeches and announcements. The size is impressive, however I was taken more with the "dancheong," the traditional decorative coloring used on the wood. The colors of "dancheong" are blue, white, red, yellow, and black and the various combinations of the colors also convey social status. The pattern pictured here in the throne room was used almost exclusively for royal residences or holy places. While I have seen palaces in Asia before, many of them are a deep red with gold decor and dark wood. The "dancheong" style is truly unique and a nice departure from what I imagined traditional Korean architecture and interior would look like. 

So Casual

So Casual. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.  

Ikseon-dong Hanok Village is a neighborhood in Seoul that even residents of the city are just now rediscovering. Thanks to a few friends in Seoul, I was able to find it and visit this bohemian hideaway. It is a traditional "hanok" (a Korean traditional house) village developed in the 1920s tucked away in the center of Seoul. Ikseon-dong was, and is, easily overlooked because it is surrounded by skyscrapers. This village was created to be transitional housing for low-income families so the entire neighborhood is comprised of low-rise buildings with wooden doors along narrow alleyways, a very modest and raw vibe. 

This hanok had been deteriorating over the years and largely forgotten until some entrepreneurial folks saw an opportunity to renovate the houses and convert them into coffee shops, tea houses, cafes, restaurants, clubs, comic book lounges, ice cream parlors, and vintage stores. All this development is very recent and Ikseon-dong is undergoing a massive resurgence. It is less crowded than other villages and much more authentic and creative.

I walked into Plant Cafe and was greeted by this amazingly stylish and handsome man with his chic slicked back hair, delicate tortoise shells glasses, large collared shirt, high waisted pants, and cognac leather shoes. I wanted to take a photo of the space and insisted that he be in the picture. He resisted at first, but eventually stepped into the natural light. I am not a great portrait photographer so I don't think this photo does him justice, but I loved his look in this industrial, raw, unfinished space. 

Long story short, Ikseon-dong Hanok Village has to be on your list of places to experience if you make it to Seoul. When you do, stop by Plant Cafe and take a better shot of this guy for me. 

Paper Prayers

Paper Prayers. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.

Bongeunsa Temple is a peaceful getaway in the middle of the urban chaos of Seoul. As you approach the temple, long rows of hanging lanterns line the pathway up. When you walk through the second gate, a beautiful courtyard opens up and hundreds of these white paper lamps hang creating a delicate white ceiling. Each lantern has a written prayer tied on it; mothers wishing for their children to attend a top college or to find a good match. Patrons give generous donations to the temple to have their prayers hang from one of these lanterns, some for up to a year. Every morning, monks hold a ceremony to read new wishes received, meditate, and pray on them. I am not a Buddhist, but admittedly I did leave my mark in the form of a prayer. Who knows, perhaps the mothers are on to something. 

Best Foot Forward

Best Foot Forward. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

A trip to Taipei is incomplete until you visit the impressive Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This memorial stands as a beautiful and stoic testament to the late leader of the Republic of China. He dedicated his life to public service and rose to prominence as a young man due to his military prowess, memorialized by the honor guard which performs a changing of the guards at the top of every hour; and a flag closing ceremony at dusk. I watched the latter ceremony and this photo was taken as two honor guards (center) were folding the flag for the evening. The entire ceremony lasts about 30 minutes and draws a significant crowd. On this particular evening, a ring of 100+ spectators encircled the soldiers, but I was determined to isolate just the silhouettes of the young guardsmen. I did the one thing you should probably avoid with any soldier, I snuck up behind the formation, got low to the ground, and angled the lens up to capture this image. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I think it was worth it. 

Blue Over You

Blue Over You. Houston, U.S.A. August 2017.

I had a long layover in Houston, Texas this afternoon so I decided to leave the airport and head over to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to spend a couple hours with their collection. I was not familiar with the museum in advance of visiting so it was a pleasant surprise to see a James Turrell installation*. It is always hard to capture a Turrell correctly through the camera because it is such an immersive light experience, however this guard's silhouette against the rich, blue backdrop of light provided a poignant moment that was worth capturing.

*Turrell, "The Light Inside" (2000)

Urban Oasis

Urban Oasis. Bologna, Italy. July 2015.