Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tropos of BCN: 4 Different Perspectives


I've learned thus far into my semester that there are more, even opposing, sides to this city than my first impression ever led me to believe. Honestly, first impression: dog dung in the streets, vendors yelling at you to eat their doner kebab, and the buskers begging for money on the metros. That is all that I saw for the first couple of weeks. However, after venturing out to different parts of town, I saw new beauties and things I could appreciate about the city and their culture. Hopefully my images capture and convey the meaning I saw in them:

The composition of this photo was intended to emphasize the natural grass and it's seemingly wild nature blowing the wind, and to minimize the impact of the city on the landscape. The city is Barcelona, albeit the very outskirts of the dense city. The photo was taken at a low angle, so that the grass takes up most of the frame. The contrast between what is expected to be seen of Barcelona, and what is actually in Barcelona is an interesting twist to the idea of how we normally perceive it. I believe this image tells a story of change and growth, a battle between the built and natural environment.

This image, again, was composed to focus on the natural elements of the city, with the striking verticality of the tree being the focal point (the image was taken using a wide frame option in order to emphasize this). This time it was taken within a public plaza. Public spaces are integral to the culture of Barcelona, as well as other European cities. The scope and range of the public spaces vary, but this particular one exuded peace and tranquility, which is something rarely found in one of the most dense cities of Europe. The photo tells a story of how the people appreciate shared spaces and natural flora.

This image was intended to show the change of the urban fabric over time, with the overlay of old factory facade and contemporary museum structure, with the strings of electric lights in the foreground. The picture was taken at dusk, which I believe is suiting to the theme. The shot was taken at an upward angle, in order to enhance the apparent height of the modern architectural elements. As one age of Barcelona ends (the industrial period), a new one awakens and gives rise to new articulations in terms of technology and architecture.

Finally, this last image was composed to focus on the heart of the city, where the density of people gives rise to tall buildings and bustling streets. It shows the many modes of transportation used throughout the city, including public bus transport, cars, mopeds, and walking. The roads seems infinitely long, giving the impression that the city may go on forever. However, we know this is not true based on my former images...

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