the city of galvez

this has been on my back-burner for a while, but, although it seems to have made the rounds, it's just too cool not to make sure it's on everyone's radar. Via Karen Meisner, Oscar Guzman's The City of Galvez website documents photographically a 30's-era German expressionist filmic city (with a splash of Gaudi, Dali and steampunk) that doesn't exist.

The images of the City of Galvez constitute a document of a place that exists at some level of Reality. Galvez, with its famous Floating Cupolas, its capricious architecture and its advanced methods of urban transport, constitutes a peculiar document: Despite having characteristics of a photographic record, the images of Galvez don’t have and never have had a counterpart in the physical world.

The photographic document is a record that remits us to a point in space and time, that is, it’s an index. Therefore, the index of Galvez remits us to the reality of imagination. In this way, Galvez acquires its right to be considered a document of Reality, making it evident the impossibility to create frontiers between the real and the imaginary.

Let me translate the second paragraph into English: "Because I can fake a photograph this beautifully, you no longer get to say what's real and what isn't. Nyer nyer." Well, at least it's short. Here's a nother pretty picture. And don't neglect to see the website.

Comments

[Karen]

Yeah, I pretty much ignored the text, but he did a beautiful job with the visuals.

When I first encountered this series I thought he'd done the pictures a disservice with the music, the way it contributes to the sense of cold, lonely isolation. If he'd set a warmer soundtrack to it, I might have noticed different things: the hints that people may still be living there, rather than all the open spaces and hard surfaces devoid of life.

Then I realised it was actually the absence of people that drew me in. The suggestion that there were once a lot of people in this place who are now elsewhere provokes an inner narrative -- what's happened here? what's going on? -- which engages me with the city.

That was kind of an interesting discovery for me.

[claire]

that is interesting. i usually browse with the sound turned off, so i didn't hear the music at first. then i found it a little too eerie. i think it's eerie enough on its own.

[Iliana Ulloa]

I'm so glad all of you find City of Galvez interesting. It has been a pleasure to work with Oscar. All the staff at Zone Zero have heared with amazement Oscar and Claudia's comments on how this work and story are beeing built.

This is a great beginning for something even more outstanding yet to come.
Stayed tuned!

Regards from Mexico City and Zone Zero Staff.

Iliana Ulloa
Webmaster