| Paulo Majano | DIRECTORY CANADA PHOTOGRAPHY LINKS CLASSIFIEDS |
The moment I arrived in Vancouver in 1992 I was struck by the peoples relationship to the landscape, the way the city is inexorably linked to its physical place. The West Coast, the imaginary place associated with nature, a laid back attitude, and (at that time) boundless prosperity, was in reality a far richer place for its subtle contradictions, at once mundane and unique, in effect: a city.
These photographs record aspects of the city which have fascinated me from the beginning, as seen now from a point of familiarity. The three series in the exhibition document the landscape from the point of view of the city dweller.
"Burrard Inlet" is an ongoing series of photographs documenting the narrow stretch of water at the entry point to the city of Vancouver. Looking northwest from English Bay, these images document the urban activity on Burrard Inlet, looking out to the Strait of Georgia. Photographed regularly since August 2000 at different times of day, the images depict the constant change of the landscape, and the ubiquitous tankers, cruise ships, planes, and recreational boats, as urban activity negotiates a place for itself within it.
The series "Landscape" presents a view of the sky and a close up view of the ground simultaneously. A mirror reflects the sky, and structures overhead, collapsing foreground/background, top/bottom, into one plane. This is landscape in the city, truncated, negating a panoramic vista.
The aesthetic of the facades of office and residential buildings in Vancouver is the subject of the series "Structure-Windows". The grid, that ideal structure of organization, now inhabited in the form of a dwelling or a working space, is transformed. No longer ideal, it is acted upon by the activity within it, and around it. There is evidence not only of human activity, but also of the actions of individuals.
Paulo Majano
