© Pygmalion Karatzas
“Design is not always immediately perceived, nor is it meant to be fully understood. Design is not entirely definable even though the mind insists that it should be.
Rather, design prefers the euphoria of epiphany and the steadfastness of growth. Revealed to consciousness through attachments and correspondences, design prefers to perpetuate an understanding between the seen and the unseen, between spirit and matter.”
– Carl Garant, ‘The Tao of Design’
PROJECT STATISTIC:
9,600 miles flying
4,200 miles driving
1,300 mile public commuting
750,000 steps walking
12,000 still images taken
65,000 images in time-lapse video
150 buildings and locations from
12 cities
142 days on the road.
Selected images have received numerous distinction in international photography competitions.
‘Nortigo’ is an exercise in shifting points of view as a gesture to reveal new and interesting information, compositions and feelings from spaces designed to form tangible connections between above and below, by looking straight up towards the ceiling, atrium or sky. The progression from indoor to outdoor spaces supplements the introvert/extrovert design polarity, while the pairing of classical buildings with modern, postmodern and cosmogenic architecture allows for comparative viewing experiences and a diverse showcase of the built environment.
The title ‘Nortigo’ is a combination of the words ‘North’ and ‘Vertigo’. Vertigo is a negative feeling associated with the loss of balance and lightheadedness when looking down from a great height, whereas the expression “true north” is a positive feeling associated with finding the right direction and correct course both literally and figuratively.
The images were taken during my Fulbright Artist Scholarship project titled ‘Integral Lens – a multi-perspectival approach to the study and representation of the built environment’ in 12 cities across the United States for 5 months.
PYGMALION KARATZAS – Architect And Photographer
Pygmalion Karatzas studied Architecture at the Technical University of Budapest, Urban Design at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, and practiced architecture for 12 years. Since 2013 he has been focusing systematically on architectural and fine art photography, producing a portfolio of 200 architectural, commercial and artistic projects from Europe, USA and Middle East.
His images are regularly featured in Greek and international media, have received 52 distinctions from leading photographic competitions and the prestigious Fulbright Artist Scholarship award 2015-2016, and are part of private and public collections. Since 2014 he serves as the photo editor for the Danish Architecture Center and a contributing photographer to Arcaid Images London and iStock Getty Images.
Divisare Atlas of Architecture ranks him among the top 100 architectural photographers worldwide. He has participated in exhibitions and fundraising in Greece, Italy, France, UK and USA, and produced 7 collections, with the ‘Integral Lens’ book receiving 3rd place at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris and shortlisted at the Trieste Photo Days Book Award.
In affiliation with the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and prof. Mark DeKay, their paper on a multi-perspectival approach to architectural photography was presented at the 3rd Integral European Conference and they will be conducting traveling workshops for students.
Through photojournalistic reportages, collaborations with architectural firms, businesses and organizations, as well as self-initiated projects, he exhibits his passion and dedication to the study, representation and dissemination of the built environment and its broader role as a cultural asset.
Harvard Arts Museum, Cambridge USA, 2015 © Pygmalion Karatzas
“The photographs themselves take a range of subjects, both city and nature, buildings and contexts, interiors and exteriors, wholes and parts, full of people and empty of habitation, frozen structures and dynamic skies—cityscapes, urban waterscapes and wild landscapes. The wide-angle Karatzas lens ranges widely. If integral consciousness is “aperspectival” (meaning beyond individual perspectives), as Jean Gebser put it, then something of this lens is available to viewers of this work. Although filled with page-turning anticipation about what comes next, this is not work to be glanced over as a coffee-table fashion book. I encourage you to take a long-exposure view of each image. Let the Integral Lens take you somewhere.”
– Prof. Mark DeKay, Author ‘Integral Sustainable Design’
“We had the pleasure to present Pygmalion Karatzas’ work at The Greek Foundation with great success. This photographic exploration of the American continent offers great possibilities to the viewer to interact and experience the landscapes. His unique intimate look at the urban environment, creates a framework for the observer to interpret the context in different scale and depth. Architecture and Photography merge in an uncommon way and this reflects strongly on the viewer, who is taken slowly into a journey to remember.”
– Kostis Karatzas, Founder & Director ‘The Greek Foundation’
“The magnificent photographs with their sharp outline, atmospheric lighting, soft colors and wide angle immediately impress on the viewer an image of the expansiveness and variety of the American landscape both urban and natural.”
–Els Siakos Hanappe, Program Coordinator, Fulbright Foundation Greece
