Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Sofia 1990

Published on August 19, 2008 in 1990 photo, About work and Bulgaria. 0 Comments

These pictures take me even further back in time, to April 1990. We were a group of TaiK photography students on way to Cairo. We stopped in Sofia. The Bulgarian Communist Party had just released its absolute hold and was renamed The Bulgarian Socialist Party. Somewhere in the centre a group of men were reading newspaper spreads posted on billboards. One man was concentrating on the map of the country. Another man raised a vivid street talk with his one-man demonstration, claiming proper compensation for the time spent in a labor camp.

A couple of years later all my colour negatives from trips abroad disappeared from TaiK, leaving me with only a couple of rolls from Sofia. Luckily I still have some quick lab copies and b&w rolls.

Porto and Braga 1996

Published on August 13, 2008 in 1996 photo, About work and Portugal. 0 Comments

Pictures from the 1996 trip, mostly from Porto. Having rummaged through the old negatives I found that I was experimenting with some collage panoramas already then. The results however, were not interesting enough. The current experiments turn out a bit more rewarding for me (for seeing, you can browse through some of my recent posts).

Encontros da Imagem 1996

Published on August 12, 2008 in 1996 photo and Portugal. 0 Comments

We all had attended Encontros da Imagem in Braga the previous year, 1996.

Beijing 1997

Published on August 8, 2008 in 1997 photo and China. 0 Comments

In March 1997 I had stayed with Rose and George in Melbourne, where one of my projects was in a group show at CCP. On the way home I stopped in Beijing for a couple of days. My hostel was within the centre’s old quarters: the major bulldozing was already in progress and many residents relocated to far away high-rise buildings.

Transformation

Published on August 7, 2008 in 2008 photo and Latvia. 0 Comments

What will eventually happen to the house inside a house? Dubulti, Jurmala.

By the sea

Published on August 6, 2008 in 2008 photo and Latvia. 0 Comments Tags: .

Last Friday was hot. These panoramas are from Dubulti, Jurmala: a 30-minute train drive from Riga centre.


Dzirnavu iela

Published on August 1, 2008 in 2008 photo and Latvia. 0 Comments Tags: .

We came back to Riga a few days ago. This panorama from yesterday morning is from Dzirnavu street, view centered southwards. The brown building on the left is a health centre. The tower behind is Hotel Latvija, whose sky bar offers cocktail drinks named Orgasm and alike. Riga has developed a reputation for its sex tourism.

A bit more to the right, where the the aeroplane traces point to, you can see a glimpse of the Esplanade Park. The park hosts an orthodox cathedral, trampolines and a giant air-filled crocodile. Yesterday, in the playground while a sociology student was interviewing us about phone connections and the internet usage, a young Russian mother was beating her small boy with a shoe.

On the right, a couple of blocks behind the corner-shop cafe, is the Art Nouveau Riga where you may spot houses built by Mikhail Eisenstein, the father of the film director Sergei. During these five years I’ve been strolling Riga the area has grown very posh.