Pygmalion Karatzas | Terrain Vague

Terrain Vague
By architect and photographer Pygmalion Karatzas

“In contrast to the carefully designed and integrated urban projects, contemporary cities are also characterized by their obsolete and unproductive spaces, undefined, without specific limits. As such, they manifest as spaces of freedom and represent an anonymous reality outside the urban regeneration policies”.
– Pygmalion Karatzas

Terrain Vague’ photographic series takes an intimate look at urban landscapes, influenced by the postmodern metropolitan condition as defined by Ignasi de Sola-Morales. In contrast to the carefully designed and integrated urban projects, contemporary cities are also characterized by their obsolete and unproductive spaces, undefined, without specific limits. As such, they manifest as spaces of freedom and represent an anonymous reality outside the urban regeneration policies.
The images were taken during my Fulbright Artist Scholarship project titled ‘Integral Lens – a multi-perspectival approach to studying and representing the built environment’ in 12 cities across the United States for 5 months.
Project statistic: 9,600 miles flying, 4,200 miles driving, 1,300 miles public commuting, 750,000 steps walking, 12,000 still images were taken, 65,000 images in timelapse video, 150 buildings, and locations from 12 cities, 142 days on the road.

Different modes of transportation were used during this 5-month journey from city to city across the United States. The itinerary started in Knoxville, Tennessee, then New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Miami, New Orleans and returned to Knoxville.

While walking around and exploring these urban landscapes for the first time, I was reminded of Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.”
Although there are many quotes from this unique and brilliant contemplation on urban living, I mention here one:
“A tale is born from an image, and the image extends and creates a network of meanings that are always equivocal.”
Polarities like new/old, intimate/distant, unknown/familiar kept forming rich juxtapositions, the feelings of which I tried to capture in these images.
Mundane places where our daily memories are formed, and the “soft city” of illusion, myth, aspiration, and nightmare becomes as real as the “hard city” of materials, infrastructures, and networks.

The multi-award-winning book from this project ‘Integral Lens’ can be ordered in fine art print through blurb.com:
www.blurb.com/b/8010730-integral-lens

Architect and Photographer
Pygmalion Karatzas

Pygmalion Karatzas studied Architecture at the Technical University of Budapest (1991-95), Urban Design at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (1995-97), and practiced architecture for 12 years. In 2006 he participated in the first ‘Ecovillage Design Education’ training-of-trainers course in Findhorn organized by the Global Ecovillage Network and endorsed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Since 2013 he has been focusing systematically on architectural and fine art photography, producing a portfolio of 250+ architectural, commercial, and artistic projects from Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.

His images are regularly featured in Greek and international media, have received over 100 distinctions from leading global photographic competitions and the prestigious Fulbright Artist Scholarship award 2015-2016, and are part of private and public collections. Since 2014 he is the photo editor for the Danish Architecture Center and a contributing photographer to Arcaid Images London, iStock Getty Images, and Adobe Stock. Divisare Atlas of Architecture ranks him among the top 100 architectural photographers worldwide.
Pygmalion Karatzas has participated in exhibitions and fundraising in Greece, Italy, France, the UK, and the USA, and produced 10 book collections, with the ‘Integral Lens’ book receiving 3rd place at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2018 and shortlisted at the Trieste Photo Days Book Award. ‘Nortigo – architectural abstractions’ received 2nd place at the Moscow International Foto Awards 2019.

In affiliation with the University of Tennessee Knoxville and professor Mark DeKay, their paper on a multi-perspectival approach to architectural photography was presented at the 3rd Integral European Conference; at the 5th Trieste Photo Days Festival and in 2019 became part of an academic mini-term / traveling workshop curriculum.
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.

See the article in Lens Magazine Issue #88