Mapurungando

And so time flies...

2011-10-30T02:28:00.001-07:00

And so it goes that life seems to take on the speed of light and one needs to prioritize. I have refrained from updating this blog for a while because, well, I have had many other things to do. My time has been consumed by a masters in Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona, among other projects, so, until I have finished these things, the blog will unfortunately remain untouched.

I am sure most of us understand.

Cheers to all of us!

The invisible side of Lanzarote

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

While browsing through some 2009 images for a client, I have come across images from a photoshoot in St. Bartolome, a few miles from Puerto del Carmen in the Canaryan island of Lanzarote. This volcanic island is a vacation hot spot for European tourists, who flood the beaches year around looking for sunshine. What remains from the exploitation of this place is large amounts of garbage, usually hidden away. I photographed this garbage dump for a few weeks, documenting the new objects that were discarded amidst the hills.

I imagine that José Saramago, the Portuguese writer who won a Nobel Prize just a few years ago and lived in Lanzarote until his death last year, would be saddened to see these images.

This is what our modern times often look like, unfortunately.

Fotografia em Debate - Fotografia de Casamento

2011-02-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

Em Fortaleza, na Livraria Cultura, 22 de fevereiro de 2011.
Palestrantes: Janine Mapurunga e Paulo Figueiredo.

Fotografias de Nilo Saraiva.

Materia sobre Fotografia em Debate no Diário do Nordeste

2011-02-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

O Jornal Diário do Nordeste publicou hoje uma super materia, capa do Caderno 3, sobre a fotografia de casamento no Ceará e a palestra desta noite na Livraria Cultura.

Aqui está o link que conecta diretamente ao site do jornal.

Fotografia em Debate na Livraria Cultura em Fortaleza

2011-02-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Informações sobre a palestra de amanhã foram publicadas no blog de noivas do jornal O Povo.

Click aqui para ver.

Eu e o fotógrafo cearense Paulo Figueiredo fomos convidados para participar neste evento, que será as 19hrs amanhã, dia 22 de fevereiro. Estamos animados!

Tech Geek Wedding at the Conservatory of Flowers

2011-02-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

Hello hello hello!

I am alive and kicking! And, as usual, I am not up to date on my blog. I guess it's just not for me! The days are short, the clock is ticking and there's always so much to do. I guess the best I can do is to put aside the feeling of guilt and keep enjoying life.

So, here I am, making an appearance on this blog, directly from Brasil, where I have been since December. The reason for showing up today? To let you know that one of my most favorite weddings was profiled on 7x7 SF. Alison's and Nathan's keep shining, so it seems! Cheers to them!!!

Click here to see the article.

Click here to view more photos from their wedding.

Mapurunga Photography em Fortaleza

2011-02-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

Saudações gente bonita do Ceará!

Estou feliz de informar que estou aqui nessa terra tão bonita! Depois de 14 anos morando entre Califórnia, Itália, Sri Lanka e Espanha, estou deixando marcas por aqui mesmo, no nosso quintal! Que bom estar de volta e sentir tanto carinho e atenção!

Tenho sido recebida muito bem, inclusive pelo Mandacaru Foto Clube, que me convidou a participar de um debate sobre fotografia de casamentos, que será esta próxima terça-feira, dia 22 de fevereiro na Livraria Cultura em Fortaleza, ás 19hrs. Estará também presente o fotógrafo cearense Paulo Figueiredo.

Siga este link para ver o trabalho do Paulo.

E este para mais informacões sobre a Livraria Cultura.

toni bruna... from the archives

2010-09-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

A practice session in their studio in Trieste, Italy, on November 10th, 2009. Toni Bruna is one of the very few bands that create music in Tristin, the local dialect and, like many all over the world, a dying language. As I hear, they are finishing the last details on their newest album, Formigole. Follow this link to Toni Bruna's website.

portrait fun in East Sacramento

2010-08-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

This is how it worked: I set up a studio at the living room of a client's beautiful home in East Sac. Then her coworkers came and altogether we enjoyed a few hours of fun with portraiture. Corporate and family portraits done at one sitting, in the comfort of home. This is my new concept of the studio.

Click here for more.

Claudie and the two beasts

2010-08-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

portrait weekend 1.0 • SUN

2010-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

You may view more portraits from Sunday here.

portrait weekend 1.0 • SAT

2010-08-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Before heading back to Europe this summer I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the lovely Californian weather. What better thing to do than host a portrait weekend? The result is an array of portraits of fantastic people, from all ages and sizes.

You may view more photos from Saturday here.

Nicole & Matt plus two

2010-08-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

A lovely summertime portrait session in Land Park, Sacramento.

Follow this link to view more photos from this portrait session.

the conservatory of flowers

2010-08-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

The Conservatory of Flowers is definitely one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen for a wedding. Contained in the massive greenhouse are beautiful (and huge) plants from the tropics, including an impressive collection of orchids. For more information about this lovely place, click here.

got light?

2010-08-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

Got Light marked a presence at Alison and Nathan's wedding. They spiced up the party with a starry night theme, which they projected onto the permanent tent that is the orchid room at the Conservatory of Flowers. This link will take you to their website, enjoy!

Fork & Spoon at the Conservatory of Flowers

2010-08-15T23:39:00.000-07:00

This was my first time working with Fork & Spoon, a design catering service from San Francisco. Alison and Nathan made a great choice in selecting them. The service was prompt and impeccable and the food was a new take on southern cooking, which included friend green tomatoes. I highly recommend them! Go here to find their website.

tradition and friendship

2010-08-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Japanese tradition of the 1000-crane tree has been re-invented here. Alison told me that, traditionally, a bride-to-be folds 1000 origami cranes as a display of patience and devotion. Although Japanese, this self-proclaimed "modern bride," had no time for such a thing, so instead she sent little papers all over the country and asked her friends to fold them into cranes. She later put them all together into a gorgeous golden tree.

high tech details

2010-08-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Alison and Nathan paid close attention to every detail of their wedding, leaving their personal mark on everything. Upon entering the reception, the guests were asked to use Alison's first computer to find their table. She created a software for this purpose.

As part of the table decor and later gifted to some special guests were vintage glass jars with lights that blinked to match the natural patterns of light made by fireflies. Alison designed the system, which Nathan later built.

Each table was named after a previous computer model owned or worked on by either one in the couple.

Click here to view more photos from this wedding.

creative good vibes

2010-08-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

During the cocktail hour at their reception, Alison's and Nathan's friends had the opportunity to leave their best wishes for the couple creatively, in the form of drawings on little squares of cloth, which later will become a quilt. Alison's mom photographed all the little squares and posted here. What a great idea!

apple times

2010-08-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

There were almost as many iphones as smiles at Alison and Nathan's wedding. Perhaps it could have something to do with the fact they both for the fruitful company?

Click here to see more iphone photos from their wedding. These are indeed modern times...

Sibby's cupcakes at Alison's & Nathan's wedding

2010-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Famous for the tiny yet delightful colorful treats, Sibby's bakery in San Francisco was the dessert of choice for Alison and Nathan. More cupcake photos from this wedding can be seen here.

Click here for more information on Sibby's Cupcakery.

Alison & Nathan tie the knot at the Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco CA

2010-08-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Apple engineers Alison and Nathan met while commuting to work in Bart. These self-proclaimed bike nerds and some of their closest friends rode to the Golden Gate Park - Nathan in a beautiful custom bike and Alison alongside in a sidecar made by Nathan's dad. More details in their own words can be found in their wedding blog.

Click here to view their images.

more moments from Mandi's & Steve's intimate wedding

2010-08-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Me, a bridesmaid?

Mandi & Steve

2010-08-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

I was a guest at a friend's wedding this weekend! How lovely! It was an intimate backyard event with their closest friends and relatives in Sacramento. Congratulations Mandi & Steve!

highlights from three california weddings

2010-07-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

today I discovered ISSUU

2010-07-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at the discovery of this website where anyone can publish any document and it is automatically converted into a virtual book. I usually come across new online technologies quite late and this is probably the case here. For all I know, half the world has already discovered ISSUU!

It doesn't matter anyway! I am thrilled at this and have immediately posted some articles I wrote last year:

•... Photography? - Notes on the Real Spectacle of Hyperreality in the Digital Age

• of self and Other - An autoinvestigation through photography

Engenho do Seu Zepa, Viçosa do Ceará • Brasil

2010-05-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

These are some images from a project I have been working since 2003 in my homegrounds in the mountains of northeastern Brasil. Here are images from one of the last family owned engenhos left in the state. Engenhos date back to the times of Portuguese colonization. Back then they were worked by enslaved Africans. This particular engenho is three-generations old. They treat the yucca to make two types of flour and the sugar cane to make rapadura - a fundamental element in the local cuisine.

Click here for more.

The Farmer Series

2010-05-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Mulvaney's B & L commissed me to produce this photo essay about local food producers in the Sacramento region. For six months, I met with the people who provide this lovely farm-to-table restaurant with their ingredients, grown right in the Sacramento Valley. This was for me a marvelous undertaking. Being deeply concerned about the present state of our food culture, I was delighted to meet the people who have chosen the difficult task of producing food in their own terms in a time when cheap (and, consequently, low quality) is king.

The result are ten images, created on black and white film, then developed by hand, and finally printed on archival watercolor paper. They are on permanent display at Next Door - the area of the restaurant designated for private events.

The photo essay can be seen here.
Click here for more information about Mulvaney's B&L.

Mapurunga Photography in the LA Times

2010-05-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

The LA Times published this portrait from Nra & Marty's wedding in their section entitled Together, dated April 25th 2010. The article features couples willing to "set aside quaint archaic wedding customs" and choosing a more alternative interpretations of the traditions that best fit their personal style.

This wedding featured event coordination by Kristin Banta, at kristinbanta.com and flowers by Flowerwild, at flowerwild.com.

Click here to view the article.

happiness is in the air in the Mickiewicz family...

2010-05-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

Hi honey,

Oh, don't even know how to begin to let you know how much we love the wedding photos. They are stunning and beautiful. You captured the eveing perfectly. Can't thank you enough. You are simply amazing. Kiera is over the moon about them. She called with such excitement and happiness. So much to sort though and decide. It will be hard. Hope this finds you happy and healthy.
Thanks so much Janine!

Love,
Erin Mickiewicz

Click here to view Kiera and Bradford's photos

Toni Bruna's website

2010-05-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

Toni Bruna's website is in the works. This past March I flew to Trieste to create the images that fill the beautifully designed site: http://www.tonibruna.com

The man in charge of creating this site is the great Chilean designer José Cortés, whose work can be viewed here: http://www.inamible.com/

testing the Canon G11, my new point and shoot

2010-04-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

Las bellas chicas coloreadas del máster en producción artística de la Universidad de Barcelona

El beso de los coches

La primavera ha llegado al edifício de la facultad de física de la UB

Overall I am much happier with the new Canon G11 than with the old Leica D-Lux. However, as with all little digital cameras, the G11 has a little delay and does not like low light situations. Well, as they say in Barcelona, "asi es," or, that's how it is. Nothing can be done about it, such is the reality with the digital imagery technology...

I do recommend this camera. It's small enough and camera enough to always have it with me in my bag anytime I need it. The large cameras (7D, 5D) are just too bulky and heavy to have around all the time, especially since I have back pain.

My favorite feature on the G11 is the video. It works quite nicely, I like the quality even though it's such a tiny camera. Well, that is, of couse, taking light in consideration. In low light situations it's not even worth taking out the camera most of the time, as the result will be a mushy dark soup of pixels.

transgressive theology...

2010-04-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

John Mabry is the name of the pastor who married Kiera and Bradford. He was funny. I heard belly laughs loud and clear during the ceremony. I laughed myself even!

I liked John's ceremony, his sense of humor, and his energy. And, besides, he stepped outside the church box (if I may call it that), by choosing to follow a more alternative interpretation of the bible and the teachings of Jesus.

Well, check it out for yourself. Here is his blog: http://johnrmabry.wordpress.com/
And here is the link to his church: www.gracenorthchurch.org

He is based out of the Bay Area and happy to travel, as he did for Kiera and Bradford's wedding two days ago.

behind the scenes at Kiera Mickiewicz's and Bradford Anderson's wedding

2010-04-11T03:10:00.000-07:00

behind the scenes with the Mickiewicz family

2010-04-11T02:57:00.000-07:00

My assistant snapped some behind-the-scenes shots during the wedding day of Kiera and Bradford on April 10th in Northern California. Here were are the Mickiewicz's family home before heading over to the wedding location in Clarksburg.

more of Kiera's & Bradford's wedding

2010-04-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

Kiera Mickiewicz' & Bradford Anderson's wedding

2010-04-10T03:20:00.000-07:00

What brought me across the Atlantic from Barcelona to Sacramento this spring was the wedding of Kiera and Bradford.

Kiera, a Sacramento native, met Bradford while studying theater at New York University. They now reside in Los Angeles, where Bradford stars in the daytime television show General Hospital. They chose to marry in Northern California, where Kiera's large Irish and Polish family were represented in full force.

This wedding was filled with lovely and very siginificant details. Kiera's dress had been worn by both her granmother and her mother on their respective wedding days. Her bouquet was adorned with tiny photographs of loved ones who had passed. The arch under which they said their vows was built by a family friend out of hundred-year-old wood.

The chosen location for the festivities was the Old Sugar Mill, a quaint and incredibly photogenic venue in Clarksburg.

Click here for more on Bradford.

Click here for more on The Old Sugar Mill.

Sacramento, the city of trees?

2010-04-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

life and intimacy part V: you and i now make a different us

2010-04-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Click here to view more images.

life and intimacy part IV: being surprised by changes in the daily routine

2010-04-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

life and intimacy part III: being amazed

2010-04-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

life and intimacy part II: documenting new life

2010-04-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

life and intimacy

2010-04-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

In my recent trip to California, I had the pleasure of visiting a lovely couple whose wedding I photographed a few years ago in Sonoma. The artist Yoly Stroeve, the photographer Valentin Almanza and the new addition to the family, Indigo, allowed me to create some images of their intimate life at home.

a modern princess in San Francisco's Mission District

2010-04-06T04:26:00.000-07:00

tech talk, let's make it short

2010-04-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

I am always bored at camera talk. Yup! I have been working with photographic aparatus for twelve years, but cannot bare to talk about it. I would rather be shooting. So, I shall make this short. I just purchased the Canon 7D. These are two images from the first test shoot, a location scouting for Kiera Mickiewicz's and Bradford Anderson's wedding, to take place on April 10th in Clarksburg, California.

My two assistants and I went to The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, California to perform what I call a "terrain recognition mission." I had never shot at that location before, and went to check it out and test my lights before the wedding day.

As for the 7D, what can I say? It's another ultra overpriced, super fragile camera, which will probably only last me two years tops, as all of the others have. My old faithful, on the other hand, my favorite camera, is the Canon AE-1, made in the 70's and in full operating conditions. I have never had one single problem with it... It surely upsets me that camera (and all other electronic equipment) is made to be disposable in our era...

For more information about the location, go here: http://www.oldsugarmill.com/

easter with family and technology

2010-04-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

This easter I was invited to celebrate with a friend and his family in the Mission district in San Francisco. My friend is first generation born in California from Mexican parents. They have been residing in the Mission since the family imigrated almost fourty years ago.

Click here for more.

the start of a good goodbye in Barcelona

2010-03-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

All things come to an end, and, as for modern electronics, life comes to an end very very fast to the demise of our resources, health, and overall quality of life. I have been using the first model of Leica's D-Lux since it was releazed and, for the past year and a half, the quality of this camera dropped incredibly. No one can tell me why. The camera just started to produce low quality images which are heavily pixelated, no matter how they are made.

In other times, cameras and other electronics were made to last. The consumer neurosis in which we exist today has made it so that companies produce products which are practically disposable, like this camera.

So, as I prepare for a trip to California, where I will (unfortunately) have to purchase a new point and shoot camera, I say my goodbye to the D-Lux in Barcelona. It's one more piece of equipment which has been doomed. Visible in its demise is the entire basis of our modern life. Garbage production and accumulation. I guess this all makes me a bit pessimistic.

Toni Bruna's trees

2010-03-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

We found the location by accident, as serendipitous things usually happen. These trees stand beside a centuries-old church where the musician Toni Bruna used to go throughout his childhood and teenagehood. "Not to pray," he said, but to enjoy the energy and the view. From there we can see the beginning of Istria, his grandparents' land, which is now devided between Croatia and Slovenia, from what I understand. His family had to flee their original homegrounds to Trieste, Italy. Trieste itself has been fought over many times as well, at some point being a part of Austria. In this region it seems everyone has fled a war or two, something which is embeded in the culture and in the cool air.

Toni Bruna composes in Triestino, the dialect he was raised speaking. From what he told me, there are increasingly fewer people learning this dying language. It is a shame that, all over the world, languages are dying fast with each new generation. Losing a language also means the loss of a significant wealth of culture.

location scouting in a place of silence, part II

2010-03-19T00:53:00.000-07:00

location scouting in a place of silence

2010-03-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

What brought me to this region, on the seemless border between Italy and Slovenia, was a job. I was assigned to create images for the website of local singer-songwriter Toni Bruna. We spent two days going through the beautiful countryside in search of a location that "spoke" to his idea of the images and that was suitable to our art direction. Silence reigned in this place, and, being so used to the chaos of Barcelona, I was certainly pleased to hear my footsteps for the first time in months.

the line between Italy and Slovenia

2010-03-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

A land that holds much history of the persecuted people from Istria. Beauty here is found in the smallest details of ages-old stone buildings.

blogging is serious business...

2010-02-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

I have had a difficult time keeping up with this blog business. Some things are easier for some than others. This thing is not easy for me. It does not come very naturally. I do not know why, but for some reason time goes by incredibly fast when it comes to updating this blog. When I realize it, months have passed without a single update.

Well, we all struggle to better ourselves in one way or another. Some of us have a list of things in which to improve. Blogging is on my list.

So that's that, onto updating this blog I go!

my grandmother • a minha avó

2010-01-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

the big 79, part IV: the presents • os presentes

2010-01-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

My great grandmother used to display all her birthday presents on her bed every year and ask that her photo be made sitting beside them. My grandmother was too busy caring for her 150 guests to think about being in this photo.

the big 79, part III: the cake • o bolo

2010-01-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

my grandmother's house • a casa de minha avó

2010-01-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

My mother, her sister, and guess who that is up there hanging on the wall?

the big 79, part II: a comida

2010-01-25T02:30:00.000-08:00

the big 79

2010-01-25T02:24:00.000-08:00

As she turns 79 years-old, my granmother would not have it any other way. The most logical things to do in such an occasion is certainly to have a party for 150 people. That's how she rolls. The small town of Viçosa do Ceará showed came in full force. Besides the Mapurunga family, there were the town priest, the mayor, the past mayor (of a different political party - it is remarkable they would be seen in the same place), and so many other people I lost track.

my grandmother's house • a casa de minha avó

2010-01-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

Only once a year or so do I have the pleasure to being in the company of my family. While some people may dred hanging with their own folk, I surely take great joy in it, especially being in the company of my grandmother, the matriarch of our large large large Mapurunga family. Dona Ritinha, my grandmother, had eighteen brothers and sisters. Her mother is 102 years old.

Dona Ritinha lives in Viçosa do Ceará, what I consider to be my birth grounds because she raised me when I was still a baby. Her home is a sanctuary to me and to so many others to whom she has been opening her doors for the past 40 years. You see, her home is a well-known pousada, that is, a quaint, no frills, bed and breakfast in the mountains of Ibiapaba, about five hours from the capital Fortaleza.

Lucky are the ones who have the chance to meet her and stay at her home, the Sayonara Hotel, of all names. I have asked her many times throughout my life what this name means, and she still doesn't know. I think it should be left like that.

Ceará, inland and coast • Ceará, interior e costa

2010-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Praia de Mundaú
Uruburetama
On the road between somewhere and another, heading in the direction of Fortaleza

Delta do Parnaíba, Piauí • Brasil

2010-01-06T04:11:00.000-08:00

Delta do Parnaíba, Piauí • Brasil

2010-01-06T04:06:00.000-08:00

tourism in the Delta do Parnaíba, Piauí • Brasil

2010-01-06T04:01:00.000-08:00

Delta do Parnaíba, Piauí • Brasil

2010-01-06T03:41:00.000-08:00

The Delta do Parnaíba is the only delta in the Americas to flow into open ocean waters. It is more then 1.500 km long and encompasses 70 fluvial islands. The ecosystem is very fragile and highly succeptible to the presence of humans. The government of the (very poor) state of Piauí has spent millions to boost tourism in the area, which increasingly threat animal and plant life.

Piauí, Brasil

2010-01-05T03:15:00.000-08:00

Although right next door to my home state of Ceará, I had never visited Piauí until now. The reason for this recent border crossing was pure curiosity. I wanted to see the Delta do Parnaíba, the place where the Parnaíba river reaches the waters of the Atlantic.

the day after Sinter Klass • The Hague, Holland

2009-12-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

a Dutch encounter • The Hague, Holland

2009-12-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

Toni Bruna live at La Jazera, Trieste • part III

2009-11-16T03:11:00.000-08:00

Go here to learn more about La Jazera radio station: http://www.lajazera.net/

Toni Bruna live at La Jazera, Trieste • part II

2009-11-16T03:07:00.000-08:00

Toni Bruna live at La Jazera, Trieste • Italy

2009-11-16T02:57:00.000-08:00

Today my job was to document the live performance of Toni Bruna at La Jazera, a tiny independent radio station in Trieste, Italy. The public was invited to come and listen live on headphones set up outside the radio station on the sidewalk. Photographing live music is always a pleasure. Well, unless it's music I don't like, but this is not the case here.

Toni Bruna has a lovely sound, which can be heard on their website: http://www.tonibruna.com

Artissima 2009 • Torino, Italy

2009-11-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Wolfgang Tillmans

Susan Norrie, still from film entitled Havoc

http://www.susannorrie.com/

For more information on this year's Artissima, go to:
http://www.artissima.it/

Artissima 2009 • Torino, Italy

2009-11-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

Miroslav Tichy

Santiago Sierra

Santiago Sierra

Artissima 2009 • Torino, Italy

2009-11-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

Ottonella Mochellin & Nicola Pellegrini

Galeria Pianissimo

Boris Mikhailov

Artissima 2009 • Torino, Italy

2009-11-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

Michel François • The Speaker Corner

Ivan Moldov • Already Made

Alfredo Jaar • Angel

As I have been told, Artissima is the largest art faire in Italy and one of the largest in the world. Here, thousands of people congregate every year to be around "art" I suppose. It's known to be a very exclusive event, where gallerists have booths in which their represented artists' work is displayed in the hopes of finding a new home.

I noticed a few different types of people while browsing around. There were, as before mentioned, the people working for the galleries (eager to sell art in a moment of deep economic crisis), the "aspiring artists" (hoping to one day be "discovered" and therefore represented by a gallery), the possible buyers (part of which were probably undercover, underdressed not to be hovered over like the overdressed ones were), and a whole bunch of browsers like me, people who don't really know why they are there, just that they are.

Overall, there was a sense of despair in the air, with a slight hint of decay, probably coming from the rot of it all. Yes, I have a very strong opinion of this so called "art world," and it is not a positive one. I have always been uncorfortable with the stereotypical art openings, where people hang onto their glasses of wine while pretending to look deeply to try and understand the art hanging on the walls. Often times the art hanging on the walls happens to be images of not-so-fortunate people in so-called "underdeveloped" parts of the world. Am I the only one to whom this whole thing seems discusting?

There is, of course, the other aspect of this "art world." Who, really dictates what is "art," what is worth looking at and spending thousands on? Who, I ask, who? Who has the authority to comb through the objects resulting from the unsilent minds of people society categorizes as "artists"? My disgust with the art world has less to do with art then with the system in which it exists.

To be completely honest, of all the "high art" on display at Artissima, about 99% was meaningless. To me, completely meaningless. "Art" that says nothing, that is just there for aesthetics and nothing more. "Art" produced because it will sell. "Art" the market is thirsting for.

So much energy, time and resources are spent on events like this, when there are so many more meaninful and emergent questions to be addressed in our complicated modernity. It sickens me, really.

Claudia Virginia Vitari at Le Nuove • Torino, Italy

2009-11-05T05:13:00.000-08:00

Claudia Virginia Vitari • Torino, Italy

2009-11-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Claudia Virginia Vitari • Torino, Italy

2009-11-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

Claudia Virginia Vitari's latest exhibit is what brought me to Torino. The artist asked that I photograph the project Percorso Galera, now on exhibit at the former penitentiary Le Nuove. For this project, the artist collaborated with inmates from another penitentiary, who shared their stories and drawings.

For more information, visit Claudia's website: http://www.claudiavitari.com

Converse at the Queen's palace • Torino, Italy

2009-11-03T04:49:00.000-08:00

big brother en el barrio de Lavapiés

2009-10-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

So it seems that the people from Lavapiés, a Madrid neighborhood famous for the multiculturality of its inhabitants, are annoyed (to say the least) at the increasing number of cameras hanging everywhere in sight. There are literally several cameras on almost every corner of the neighborhood...

a work of true craftsmanship to enjoy in transit

2009-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

The new terminal at the Madrid airport is breathtaking. These wave-like structures are built with carefully fitted pieces wood. It is not every day that I am impressed by the aesthetics of an airport...

"las gotas divinas," now in a Zaragoza store near you

2009-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

There is certainly something strange with the advertisements I saw in Zaragoza upon my arrival to photograph Isabel and Kristian's wedding today...

something strange at the Zaragoza train station...

2009-10-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who sees something a bit strange in this advertisement?

Isabel & Kristian • Zaragoza, España

2009-10-23T02:58:00.000-07:00

more from the Animal Blessings shoot

2009-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

Tommaso Praturion

more from the Animal Blessings shoot

2009-09-27T06:15:00.001-07:00

Actors: Loredana De Luca, Tommaso Praturion, and Emanuele Ferrarini

more from the Animal Blessings shoot

2009-09-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

The first scene is finished!

2009-09-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

First day of shooting

2009-09-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

The reason for the Friuli excursion was not pleasure but business. I was hired as set photographer for the shooting of "Animal Blessings," the latest film by director Claudia Medina-Culós (shown in center of frame). It was a total of five 12-hour days (some went even longer), with some very talented people, like director of photography Luca Coassin, shown here with his finger pointed to the skies. His assistant, the beautiful Angeles Parrinello, is shown here marking a film reel underneath the watchful virgin.

More on Claudia Medina-Culos: www.enmedia.ca
More on Luca Coassin: www.lucacoassin.com

On the way to Friuli

2009-09-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

It seemed like endless hours, but I did transport myself (Ryanair nightmare included mid-way) from Lanzarote to the Friuli region of Northern Italy. After busses, airplanes and trains, I finally arrived at the hotel around 1am and had to be up and ready (and extremely creative) at 7. Yeay! Thank the Italians for delicious (and powerful) coffee...

Sóo, Lanzarote

2009-08-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

on the road to Sóo

2009-08-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

the sunday market in Mancha Blanca, Lanzarote

2009-08-02T04:26:00.000-07:00

Playa de Famara, Lanzarote

2009-08-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

Jeroen Smits, Dutch sculptor

2009-08-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

en Playa de Famara, Lanzarote

close to La Santa, Lanzarote

2009-08-02T03:52:00.000-07:00

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote

2009-07-31T04:25:00.000-07:00

Playa Papagayo, Lanzarote

2009-07-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

Arrieta, Lanzarote

2009-07-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Haría, Lanzarote

2009-07-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote

2009-07-22T04:21:00.000-07:00