PARIS GRANDIOSE
A street is a place of transition between people. Humans that come and go. In a street, we can find endless objects that are created and at the same time, forgotten by the human race. These intentional items that are part of the landscape of each city are what perhaps makes us recognize in which part of the world we are. More specifically, in the traces, like the empty drinks on a table, the fruit peels left on top of a garbage can or an ice cream machine being the feast of some bees. We can identify the human presence: a person arriving or leaving that space or object. We cannot tell the story of a city without displaying its inhabitants and how they blend into the city's rhythm. Or is it perhaps possible to name the qualities of a metropolis only by showing the diversity of colors and textures that occupy it? Is it plausible to demonstrate the diversification of newcomers, cultural references, and political gestures that are evident every day using this method?
Paris grandiose uncloaks the details that I encounter every day while walking around La Ville Lumière. This photo series aspires to bring a realistic perspective to the objects and circumstances that continuously present themselves in the four corners of the city. By admiring the subtle, humorous, and emblematical elements of this environment, it is a reminder that Paris is a diverse, moving, and ever-growing city, in which details often remain unseen.
CITY ITSELF
19km north of the city of Agadir, Morocco, there is a multi-cultural village living off the richness of the Atlantic ocean and the mystic Atlas mountains. Taghazout is a small fisher city that was used by the Berber people, an ethnic community indigenous from North Africa, as a place to store their fisherman equipment. Nowadays, Taghazout hosts people from all over the world that arrive on the west coast of Morocco every year in search of a sweet escape from big cities and their daily routines. Here is where the photo documentary series city itself starts. The series focuses on the growing process, thanks to the ever-expanding tourist activities and the promises of new city projects (vision 2020) that will bring more wealth and 20 000 direct and indirect job positions for the region. As of now, the inhabitants and merchants of Taghazout are motivated about the new project. The local community of restaurants, surf shops, and hostels are hopeful this will bring new business to the 6000 residents in the area. But how will this affect the local business in 2020 when the project is finished? Will this bring more work or finally, will these locals be forced to join big corporations in order to make a living?
These small Moroccan cities have thus far seemed to evade the influence of western culture, as soon as you start paying attention to the details you can find objects that show the slow but steady change of western influence: an abandoned jet-ski, surfboards, Mercedez-Benz taxis, and other different objects that can give you the sensation of a globalized world. It is possible to start feeling the infrastructure and sociological change in the city, but the soul and the energy still remain from the Berber ancestors. The question is for how long.
SILENT TAXIS
A cab company in one of Japan’s major cities is trialing a new feature by introducing silent taxi drivers. Announcing the idea, Miyako Taxi said: “This service is currently in a trial stage, with the goal of creating an in-car atmosphere that provides the most comfortable ride for passengers through limiting the driver’s speaking.” (Rebeca Flood)
The company mentioned above is located in Kyoto. Silent Taxis is an idea that has been imposed under the modality that the user should not feel obligated to speak if he or she wishes, and the conversation will only start if the customer wishes. In addition, taxi drivers who accept to work in this company agree with this business model and admit the rules of the company. But, have you ever thought about how you can feel after spending hours of driving without being able to talk to someone? Usually, we sit in the back seat without even being able to see the face of the person who drives for us. This series shows the everyday life of taxi drivers in Tokyo and intends to give them the identity and voice that we all need.
INAPERÇU
Les Halles redevelopment project started in 2011 with the idea of reorganized and modernized Les Halles to make the district more welcoming and cohesive to visitors and tourists. The project insists on creating more open areas and better integrated into the urban environment. One of the most challenging tasks is to reorganize the underground road network between Châtelet and Les Halle's stations. This photo project focuses on the transition of these metro stations in Paris and how we can associate this construction process to our paths in life. Often we walk without raising our heads to see what's in front of us and see how it's changing in front of our eyes.