OCEANIC - URBAN WATERSCAPES BY PHOTOGRAPHER PYGMALION KARATZAS

 

`Oceanic` is a photographic series of urban waterscapes. Having lived most of my life near the water, a deep connection with this element has been formed. Scenes that combine landscapes with waterscapes are dear to my heart in a primal level, which also explains my attraction to the minimalist long exposure imagery of photographers like Michael Kenna, David Burdeny, and the plethora of other artists that comprise this expanding genre.

 

Arriving in places like New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, the new and unfamiliar instinctively is counterbalanced by the familiarity of the waterfront. Blurred waterscapes and moving skies meet building silhouettes and auxiliary structures in a merging dance between the perpetual and the ephemeral. As the shutter takes more time to let light in the sensor, so the photographer takes more time to get absorbed by the scene, and invites the viewer to have a similar visual experience.

 

When we put aside all the analyses and pause from all the search, we find what they refer in Zen as “the beginner`s mind”, a fresh look as if we just witnessed the wonders of this world. When all is said and done, comes a peaceful feeling of completion and the shear joy of being. When we momentarily drop all we know and the anxiety of the unknown, we can rest in “one taste”, in the unifying consciousness of signifier and signified. Images are part of a larger photographic project – `Integral Lens` – taken during a 5-month journey in United States awarded with the Fulbright Artist Scholarship between October 2015 and February 2016.

 

Inspired by American philosopher Ken Wilber, it aims to combine a respectful representation of exterior realities with a meaningful expression of our interiority. Choosing landmark locations unapologetic of their strong presence as well as more intimate spots of our urban life in which our daily memories are formed, is intended to share my enthusiasm for design and aesthetics, to contemplate on man`s symbiotic relationship with the material, and ultimately to trigger a more inspirational and uplifting sense for the built environment. 

 

Vol.1 of this collection can be viewed here:

Pygmalion Karatzas` website.

 

Cover photo: Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York © Pygmalion Karatzas