Afaina de Jong— The experience of place

Are there places and views that exemplify the ultimate experience of a city? Are some moments in time and places destined to be captured on the lens of modern day urban visitors? And how do people in these moments of witnessing a cities greatness, influenced by other witnesses?

The experience of space happens in the moment. Only without thoughts and sense of time one has the ability to actually experience the feeling that a specific space evokes. It seems to be an almost religious moment without having to be in a place of worship.

Below 3 works that capture three specific moments in space and time. The three works below are black&white prints, 100x70 cm.

One of my major fascinations with the built environment is the stories that are being told in the urban spaces that we inhabit. I try to captured these messages in my work in order to create a new narrative of my own. This is an ongoing project called Urban Storytelling. Here I would like to share some of it.

What happened here. As an urban investigator one stumbles upon interesting leads everywhere. What happened here, is the question. By asking this stories arise from the cities tissue.

Dead people, great parties and instigators they all have a place in the city. Below a series of three that evoke the question what happened here.

In a time where contemporary architecture seems more and more obsessed with fashionability, the creation of place stems more and more from technological possibilities. Dope computer angles dictate the space we inhabit on a everyday basis. One thing you can't capture in a 3d model is the actual vibe or atmosphere a place wil have after completion.

Below an impression of the vibe at the new highline project in Chelsea, NYC. The blurriness takes away from the well thought through spatial set-up and shares a glimpse of the actual atmosphere. As a witness, this image comes close to the actual feeling of the space rather than what you see, while there.

The dark side of urban life is part of the ying-yang balance of every major city. In the darkness people come together, get left behind or rush off to unknown destinations. In my work I try to recreate the feeling of being in a city while experiencing this darkness, inflicted upon you by the very existence of the city.

Below three works that are part of the dark city witness series. The dark figures all stand alone in the urban spaces that they share with their fellow urbanites. What are their thoughts, where are the going and how is their life dictated by the city that they live in?

My latest project. I'm very excited about it. In experiencing the everyday city I'm always struck how boring most buildings are. My architect background inspires my artist tendencies. I'm working on a 5 pieces set of mixed media pieces that add graphics and color to the everyday grey reality. In the end it is about creating a new perception of what urban life is about. In re-evaluating our surroundings, I find a optimistic attitude toward the problems that we face in the future, if humankind decides to all move to the city.

We'll see what happens, for now the only way is up!

Digital photography has revolutionized the human need to document its surroundings and every key events in their live. The internet has taken it even futher. Google Maps not only gives you the exact location of where you're going but now also gives you a 3d street view together with eyewitness photo's that we're taken by people at the exact location. To make the perfect picture, people travel to locations to capture their perfect shot, they even arrive at specified times to catch the perfect sunlight. What you document has become a reflection of who you are. You're not an aspiring photographer, but a witness of your own interests and desires.

Below a series of that declare my own obsession with serious image capturers.