‘The collapse of the financial system that supported the construction industry in Spain has left thousands of buildings ‘paralysed’: half-completed in some cases, vacant in others. New residential areas that have only just popped up are already ghost towns. Even within urban areas, it is easy to find abandoned plots as a result of the demolition of old buildings that are not then replaced by new ones. Ultimately, these buildings and urban spaces will remain in such conditions for a long time, integrated unexpectedly into the urban landscape.’
The Ephemeral Façades project offers a reflection on the city and its appearance through the façades of the buildings within it. Miguel expands the concept of the ‘façade’ to include secondary and temporary elements, such as scaffolding, fences and party walls, that form part of the construction process and merge with the external face of the building. Through these images, he wishes to capture the dialogue between former buildings, current ones and those that are emerging.
Miguel, who spent many years in Albacete, Spain, has been in London for ten months. With higher education qualifications in Interior Architecture and Photography, he has come here to develop further his career in the fields of architectural photography and design. He is currently collaborating as Photographer in Residence at Sakula Ash Architects and has recently exhibited at the Canning Town Caravanserai urban space. He is part of the group Living in the Waste Land (LiWL) and is a founding member of the photography association ‘Puctum Foto’, both based in Albacete. Miguel does not feel that the recession has affected him negatively from a creative standpoint, although he observes that more effort now has to be put into marketing, seeking funding and contacting public venues. He says that one positive repercussion is that creatives are coming together to make and exhibit work: ‘La unión hace la fuerza’ (unity is strength).
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www.miguelsouto.com
