Joy of Love. Alexandreplatz, Berlin 2010

Walking with Jooyoung Lee-Templehof, Berlin 2010

Out walking in Berlin with Jooyoung Lee. This is a small contribution to her personal art project. We went to Tempelhof Flughafen, the mythic airport in west Berlin which has now been abandoned, its air fields and runaways opened to the public. A competition of ideas and proposals for the landscape design and interventions is now opened. In the mean time  people go there to run, walk or  to have picnics and fly kites. Others just sit in the outskirst as they always did, chatting, drinking coffee and tea, eating Burek and remembering the Mediterranean sea back in the Bosphorus from where they came long time ago .

АРХИТЕКТУРА Interior+Design, Moscow 2010

Nationale Gallery, Berlin 2010

Alexanderplatz, Berlin 2010

MY MOBILE IS CUT OFF BY MOVISTAR

My mobile number is no working as the network company Movistar  cut me off
I am in Berlin and I wont be able to do anything until my return to Spain on Tuesday the 22nd.
Anyone wishing to contact me can do so via mail or skype
e mail : inigo@inigobujedo.com
Skype : inigo06

Tanja Trentman, Berlin 2010

Joo Young Lee, Berlin 2010

I met Jooyoung Lee back in London when I was working at the Fine Arts department at Goldmisths College. Joo Young was an art student and she often came to the photography studio to work there. We always got on well and though we never socialized together we did keep in touch via mail. She then went back to Seoul where she lives now working as an artist.

Yesterday ten years after my first visit to the city I arrived in Berlin for a short holiday. A friend who lives here offered me to stay at her flat while she is away so I decided to take a much deserved break and managed to find a cheap flight.

Barely two hours in the city I went for a walk and to check out a beer garden with a big screen where they are showing the world cup matches. Still had some faith in Spain doing well at the tournament so as there is no TV in the house, I wanted to make sure that there was a local bar where I could watch the match against the Swiss.

I passed by a terrace right in the junction between Rosenthaler Str and Torstrase, in an area which some people say is Mitte but most regard it as Prenzlauer Berg. There I saw Jooyoung.

At first I thought her face was familiar but did not pay much attention. It took me few seconds to realized that I knew her so I turned back and went straight towards her where she was having a drink with some friends. Still doubting I instinctively extended my hand and said hi. She looked at me for a second, not understanding whether I was asking for money or trying to sell something to her. But soon se realized, recognized me and started laughing in amazement.

She is in Berlin on a residency with a grant from Korea working on a personal project. She follows people around recording their experiences of the city. So she offered me to include me in her project and to follow me for a day. The idea is that I will be talking about my impressions about Berlin, places I want to visit, things I want to photograph. Her firends suggested we should go to the old Templehof airport which I always wanted to see. Now it is abandoned and derelict and I think it can be very interesting to photograph. After ten years I am meeting Jooyoung again on Friday. Simply amazing, I know its becoming like a mantra these days but life is indeed full of surprises.

See the links below!

http://www.programonline.de/jooyounglee.html

http://incheonstories.blogspot.com/

"Views from a hotel room" Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin 2010

Untitled, Shanghai 2010

Life is indeed full of surprises. On my way to an uruguayan restaurant in Bcn where I was recently taken by my friend Marcelo, yesterday I made the most amazing discovery. As he had eaten beef for lunch, Santiago suggested another option. A chinese restaurant. Arola and I looked at one another extremely worried as we feared yet another ghastly den where fowl cantonese food was serve. ( we both had been to Shanghai recently and knew of the delights of good chinese food) But No, it was a truly "Shanghainese" restaurant. Proper chinese restaurant where much to my surprise and delight of course, they serve Dim Sun, Hot and Spicy Sour Soup, hot pot and guess what , "In Sian" Aubergines. I could not believe it. Was my lucky day!

However this photograph was not taken in Barcelona but in Shanghai. In a place so tiny that ventilation had to be "installed " outside. Pure chinese surrealism. Apparently the food was simply exquisite and all locals from the area gathered there for sunday meal. Sadly the place was so crowded that could not find a table to eat.

LA CIUDAD DE HORACIO COPPOLA

Interior+Design Magazine is out

The new issue of Interior +Design Russia is now out featuring my first contribution to this magazine with 10 of my photographs of the Shanghai Expo 2010. The magazine is edited and published in Moscow.

http://interior.ru/

War Photographer - James Nachtwey

Josef Koudelka - a time lab -II -

It was January 1997, just few months after I had finished my Master at Goldsmiths when I had the chance to do an internship at Magnum Photos. For a period of 7 weeks I worked at London´s office everyday during normal working hours. My tasks while there were various but to begin with, I was mainly in charge of tea and coffee making facilities and doing photocopies of the magazines and articles featuring Magnum´s photographs. Occasionally I would popped in to the Lab where all the printing was being done. At the end of the day I usually stayed longer so I could look into the archive and see all the photographs I had known for years.

There for the first time I saw the original prints that Koudelka himself had done of his work of Prague 68. I remember myself fascinate, looking at them scrutinizing every detail of those photographs, observing the composition, the contrast, the way they had been all printed in fiber base chloro bromide paper.

One Monday I was asked to do photocopies. 7 hours a day of photocopies can be very alienating and often I wondered what the hell I was doing wasting my time in Magnum, not even getting paid. I kept on telling myself tat it was a unique experience and it the long term it would be worth my time. Luckily the photocopy exile lasted only for a week and soon I was sent back to the archive, filing the returned photographs and putting together new orders to go out.

One day there was a sudden sense of excitement around the office. Josef Koudelka had arrived and everybody went out to greet him with affection. He was by far the most appreciated by all members of staff and in return, he was very affectionate and friendly to everyone. He came to me and said: "Hi I´m Josef " shaking my hand. I am Iñigo I said.

We had a long chat talking about Spain, the Basque country, his passion for the country and its women whom he regard as very beautiful. He had a bottle of vodka an offer me a shot. But as It was quite early in the morning I politely declined. As he drank his glass he explained how in his childhood Vodka was the cure for everything. Whether tooth ache or a twisted ankle, in Checoslovaquia Vodka was used as the remedy for all illnesses and pains. He laughed loudly!

Two years ago I went to Prague. My mother was there with a friend and invited me to join them there for a long weekend. On a miserable rainy morning I went looking for books and I suddenly saw Invasion 68 by Josef Koudelka. The book commemorating 40 years of the soviet invasion. I could not believe it I was in Prague and there I had the book with the entire collection of photographs that 9 years earlier I had had in my hands. My only disappointment was that the texts were in Chech and therefore to the day I haven´t been able to understand a single word of it. But I could not care less. It was the book by Koudelka and I was in Prague, on the spring of 2008, exactly in the very same avenue where 40 years earlier those images have been taken.

I saw Josef Kouldelka 7 months later in Paris Photo. As I was getting in he was leaving as he told me, horrified about the whole merchandise of the fair which disgusted him.

Though vaguely he did remember me and we had a quick friendly chat. I gave him a my card and invited to stay at my place next time he happens to be in Barcelona. He is well known to be quite capable of spending months at a house where he was meant to stay just over night. But I don´t think I would mind.

Icon 085 is out

Icon Magazine issue 085 is out in the shops now featuring several pages with my photographs of the Shanghai Expo 2010. Icon Magazine is published in London and is one of the most respected Architecture and Design Magazines with and international distribution. I began working with Icon back in 2004 and I have been making regular contributions ever since.

http://www.iconeye.com/

Area 110 is out

Area issue 110. A monograph on the Shanghai Expo is featuring 10 of my photographs of the Spanish Pavilion by EMBT Miralles Tagliabue. Area is published in Italy.

Mark 26 is out

Mark Magazine issue 26 is out now featuring a 10 page display of my photographs of La Llotja in Leida by Mecanoo Architecten. Again with a text by Rafael Gomez-Moriana. A double page sample can be seen in the on line preview.

http://www.viewpictures.co.uk/Building.aspx?ID=24478

http://www.mark-magazine.com/magazine/26#

Joy of Love.The Bund, Shanghai 2010