Castles in the Air
Inigo Bujedo-Aguirre
2017 — France
About this series
Modernist social housing is one of the most widespread building typologies of the twentieth century. The post WWII transformation of cities through the massive construction of middle and working class housing was promoted by utopian determinism. Advocated by some of the most influential architects, politicians and planners of the time who looked to rationalist housing models and urban theories, to respond to immediate population needs as well as to induce a transformation towards a more egalitarian and just society. These massive projects were built during a time when it was believed that cities, society and indeed the human condition could be improved through rational design.
Many of those controversial schemes were for years left to rotten by many local councils. Today many of those housing states are iconic to the urban fabric of many European cities and its inhabitants have developed a very strong sense of community. Places that historically have been neglected, put to the side when representing the city, far way from the urban iconography that dominates the visual universe of the majority. Yet those places have become pivotal to how the cities expanded through out the years and are now an essential part of any European city.
Photographer: Inigo Bujedo Aguirre
Nationality: Spanish
Based in: Barcelona, Spain
Website: www.archive.inigobujedo.com
Instagram: @ibujedoaguirre
Inigo Bujedo Aguirre is a Barcelona based architecture, interior design and contemporary documentary photographer and a visiting tutor on architecture, urban landscape and interior design teaching at Elisava, IDEP, Esdesign and LCI all in Barcelona.
2018 – The London Festival of Architecture 2018 invited me to exhibit my long term personal project Castles in the air at the KPF – Kohn Pedersen Fox gallery in London. The exhibition was sponsored by ft´work.
2016 – Insititute Ramon LLull commissioned me to photograph “Aftermath” the Catalonian Pavilion at the XV Venice Architecture Biennale curated and designed by Prats, Prokopljevic & Lacuesta.
Arcaid Award Architectural Photographer of Year: Shortlisted image in Exterior and Sense of Place categories.
2015 – Arcaid Award Architectural Photographer of Year: Shortlisted image in Interiors category
2014 – Arcaid Award Architectural Photographer of Year: Over All Runner Up, Winner of Architecture in Use category, Shortlisted image in Sense of Place category
2013 – The Instituto Tomie Othake curated a selection of my photographs to be part of an exhibition celebrating 50 years of Architectural Photography in Brazil.
2012 – The Azkuna Zentroa (Alhóndiga Bilbao) commissioned me to photograph the city of Bilbao for the exhibition ” Bilbao Project ” which was curated by Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, documenting the transformation of the city after the Guggenheim Museum.
2011 – The AA Architectural Association of London commissioned me to go to Brazil to photograph to works by Lina Bo Bardi.The resulting collection of images was part of the exhibition “Lina and Gio: The last humanists” curated by brazilian architect and academic Ana Araujo.
2006 – The Cities Program Department at the LSE directed by Ricky Burdett selected a collection of my photographs of Barcelona that were exhibited at the X Venice Architecture Biennale.
Exhibitions: London Festival of Architecture 2018, Cité de l’architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris 2015. Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Sao Paulo 2013. Alhóndiga Bilbao 2012. AA Architectural Association, London 2012. Backlight Festival, Finland 2011. MOMA San Francisco 2011.
Shimao Corporation HQ, Harbin 2008. Galería H2O Barcelona 2008. X Architecture Biennale, Venice 2006. Galería H2O, Barcelona 2005. Artium, Vitoria 2004, Fotoencuentros Murcia, 2004, VIII Bienal Fotonoviembre, Tenerife 2003.