The City in the City

Photographer Alan Carville goes down the architectural route when he visits Valencia and is drawn to the City of Arts and Sciences to shoot it the way he sees it.

PHOTOGRAPHER Alan Carville may appear to be more known for his interiors shoots, but he has actually been taking architectural exterior images way before he started on the former.

“I used to travel a lot and, most of the time, photographers are either drawn to iconic landmarks, buildings and landscapes, or to the unique people and cultures of different countries. So, you end up going down the portrait/street photography route, or the static object route,” he says.

Surrounded by parks and gardens, you not only get a chance to walk, breathe and photograph, but you can also find an inner peace while still being in a metropolis.

But Carville has always been drawn to architecture “because it has a much broader significance than just offering shelter. It permanently records aesthetic tastes, material resources, technological advancements, as well as political and social aspirations. Finding an area that has been purposely built takes all of these factors into account”, he explains.

Here, he has picked Valencia, and the City of Arts and Sciences in particular, being in search of an area that was primarily peaceful, without traffic and congestion.

“The historical parts, although very beautiful, are also in the central traffic and shopping region,” he points out, adding that being “surrounded by parks and gardens, you not only get a chance to walk, breathe and photograph, but you can also find an inner peace while still being in a metropolis.”

In the case of the City of Arts and Sciences, “when you reduce an image to its simplest form, you then start to discover its graphic elements, such as line and shape. I see beauty in geometry – if you look at nature, such as flowers, the answers have always been there”.

A group of futuristic buildings designed by local architects, namely Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, this amazing place was built in stages, starting in 1998 at the seaward end of the old Turia river bed.

It consists of six distinct zones or buildings, including the first L’Hemisfèric, designed to look like a giant human eye; the Prince Philip Science Museum; L’Umbracle, which is a landscaped walk through native plants and various artistic and thought-provoking sculptures; L’Oceanogràfic, a small version of Sea World; El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, which is an impressive opera house and theatre; and the newest addition, L’Àgora, which is a covered exhibition space and sports arena in the shape of an ellipse.

Showing the bigger picture in colour would have made the images look touristic, he says about his choice of black and white and his personal take on this structure through his own lens, which enhances it futuristic feel.

Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, offers a great combination of city, sun and beach and plenty of cool things to do. And through Carville’s eyes, it is an excellent destination for a city break, easy to travel to, not as crowded as some other major cities, and with everything within walking distance – always with his trusted camera in hand, of course.