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TIME
2021
Made in March 2021, in the scope of the imaging laboratory discipline, in the first college year in ESAD (College of Arts and Design) in the Communication Design course, this was one of the freest works proposals I have ever received.
The main objective was to take 12 photographs that somehow represented our routine at the moment. 6 of them had to be in RGB mode (in colors), and another 6 in black and white.
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My work
I decided that I would portray my routine in a very specific way, the photographs would be displayed in a cronologic way, where the first one would be in the early morning and the last one in the final of the day, I would merge the black and white photos and the colored ones to make the work even more flowish and with a deeper meaning.
My routine was then portrayed both literally, when it comes to actions, but also with an introspective esprit.
This first photograph represents the beginning of a new opportunity, a new day coming, new ideas and the search of a new adventure, a journey to be traced.
Moving to the second one we have the first black and white image,
but why?
This represents the importance of the graffiti world for me and how it has become so precious in my life. The black and white gives us an introspective idea, the memories and past, a journey full of stories... it makes us think and to be also thankful for what we have. To me this is what graffiti can be, what these spray cans can be, representing my biggest passion.
A reflexive photograph that, since it's one of the things I see every day in my house, was so pertinent to include in this work, for the obvious, for being there, for the feeling.
The third photograph intends to portray the action, the idea of going out and exploring, going through an adventure, that´s why I used this image I took of a mine friend while we explored a new place and had fun doing it!
This whole work has always an introspective ambience in the photographs, it gives freedom for us to think about life and time, our choices and our habits. Of course I did it while trying to add an artistic side to it and, above all, representing myself in it.
The use of black and white here is made because these abandoned places are usually forgotten, froze in an era, with many times documents or stuff evidencing the time when the building was closed.
This photograph was taken in one of the places I usually go to photograph or paint, for us, people like me, these places are always a great masterpiece, a proper space to create our art and add color to the empty and old walls.
We create great memories together while painting, while doing what we like with who we like without external stuff interrupting or stopping us.
We use this type of forgotten buildings to add some life, while also having fun doing it.
The image represents some of this.
Graffiti is always part of my routine, doing it, thinking about it, planning it, talking about it, sketching, videos, photographs, everything.
Similar to the previous black and white photo, this is another image I took in other abandoned building I usually go. The meaning in this photograph is the same, transmiting the idea of time and forgotten, but how this places can be so precious to us and beautiful.
The act of taking photographs is also a huge aspect of my daily routine, I spend a lot of time or photographing when going out or exploring, or editing them.
It´s one of my favourite hobbies and in this picture we can see my friend also photographing at the exact moment I took a pic of him.
The act of photographing also leads to other paths.
When seeing some photographs we usually get nostalgic or think about time or how time has passed so fast.
Well, here in this picture I portray this exact feeling. I took a photograph of mine in front of an old graffiti piece I did some years ago. It shows how time takes over everything – making the graffiti look degraded. Time flies, that's true, photography, however, can freeze some memorable things in our lives, even the most simple ones, like those we have in our routines, and this, this is clearly so important.
The little things we do every day can be magic when watching them through another perspective.
Whenever I used the black and white here, it´s when the relation of past/present is more intense.
The idea of time taking over everything is present once again.
We can see the spray can totally damaged by the surrounding conditions.
In this case the photograph has color to show more clearly the natural beauty in the old, broken and degraded stuff due to time. The greens and the colors of the rust in the can are really attractive for me. Thinking about this place in operation without any of these things is honestly fascinating.
Really like this particular photo.
I took this picture intending to focus on the eyes of the subject that is reflected in the water, not only because it was really beautiful, but also because it had a meaning.
These eyes from the graffiti that you see are from a self-portrait that I painted in 2020.
This photo is literally a self-thinking, an insight, a thought of who I am.
The black and white are, again, relevant in this pic because of that "journey" between then and now.
The beauty of sunset.
This sunset was the best one I've ever seen, it was a cloudy day, having some periods when the sun showed up. Suddenly, a storm came with a lot of rain and wind and then... it stopped completely. Then, this was the landscape in front of me and my friend.
The meaning of this picture in this work is literally the end of the day, the end of a day full of emotions, highs and lows, but still, it's beautiful – everyone and everything carries such beauty inside.
This is the last picture and the only one that it wasn't me who took it but my friend.
I choose this one because well, it's me, and I, like everyone, have a story to tell, this is me while holding precisely a camera.
This is me at the end of the day, we all have such a huge story inside us and a lot of things to do and to live.
This is my life, my routine, my work.
It´s me.
© Nuno Pinto