To understand an artist’s work you can’t keep your eye stuck only on the image that’s worth a thousand words, and Camera Obscura gave me a click on this sentence, making me go deeper and beyond. A week ago I couldn’t avoid going to an exhibition held here in Paris, at the Centre Gulbenkian (French delegation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon), and if you’re coming here, please do yourself a favour and go see it!

Gérard Castello-Lopes was born in Vichy in 1925, son of the cinema (his father, José Castello-Lopes, founder of Filmes Castello-Lopes) and music (his mother, Marie-Antoinette Lévéque, piano player), spending most of his life living in Lisbon – or between Lisbon and Paris -, being himself a disciple of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

#2 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

I knew his work since always – I guess that I have less years of life than he dedicated to photography – but always felt something was missing for me to understand his whole work. It can be understood perfectly well the influence of the music on his work, specially piano, as he was a great piano player and composer himself, and also co-founder of the Lisbon Hot Club, the Lisbon jazz spot. This, you will find on the lines and rhythms and compositions (photo #1).

#3 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

It can also be perfectly visible the influence he had from the cinema, in the use of light (also from Cartier-Bresson, using natural light), composition, stolen stills from a film. But still… there was something I didn’t know: his main passion and hobby and where it all began:

Water.

Under Water.

#4 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Gérard Castello-Lopes was a passionate autonomous diver. From the Ocean to the sea, the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, where he learned how to dive (Cannes) or near Lisbon, where he lost his friend and diver colleague Philippe Cousteau. And it was when diving that he starts doing photography with his French Foca.

Suddenly it all made sense to me, so I went back to the exhibition’s rooms to review all his main work. It’s true that he had an amazing work of light, as I wrote before natural light taught by his (our) master Cartier-Bresson. Even though there’s a huge difference of lights as the light of Lisbon is much warmer than the light of Paris. I experienced that already in my own photographic work. However, Castello-Lopes’ light is different. It’s not the usual light of Lisbon or Paris. He, somehow, brings the underwater light to his photography giving to it a special mood very characteristic on his work. That was exactly the feeling I had when seeing his exhibited work: diving in submerged cities, where water isn’t an issue for us to breath.

#5 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

His view, or the view that he gives us is not only through his camera lenses but also through his diving armour’s glass, as if he had the gift of taking us to the place making us living and feeling it as he did.

There are photographs that you feel diving through submerged places, finding living humans there or just their presence even though being all them existing on the surface, and when on the earth’s surface feeling he brings water puddles (photos #2 and #3) or glass reflections, to give some water mood as well.

#6 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Gérard Castello-Lopes started taking photography while diving, but soon he realised that was not so easy, also for the camera as it had immediately to go through several complicated processes of cleaning the camera even if he had a supposed waterproof metal case with flash, so his photographs really under water became more as a frustration to him.

On the photograph taken in Scotland, 1985, (photo #4) there are two kids throwing pieces of bread to flying seagulls, however, the image I “saw” was the 3 seagulls as swimming fishes reflected on sky. A play of sea and sky, as if the sky was showing the reflection of the sea and not the opposite, that he repeated in other photographs like the one he took in Chambord, France (photo #5), in 1984.

#7 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Castello-Lopes projects this way his underwater world to ours.

He also brought kids diving, as I’m sure he saw them and projected them as so, even if they were just jumping and playing on any street (photos #6 and #7). They both appear to be diving and playing in deep ocean.

#8 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Or the photograph with the 4 priests sit down on a bench talking (photo #8), like corals in a reef, with such aquatic and organic movement they have.

And the “mermaid” looking lost as any human-fish at “Dubonnet’s sea”, taken in Paris, in 1957 (photo #9).

#9 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

From the magnificent portrait of his mother taken in 1959 (photo #10), the piano player as a reflected bust lost and found next to a sank boat under the Mediterranean waters that he could have take while diving… to the photo he took already with his feet on earth, from above, watching the body submerged, in 1998, (photo #11) when it seems that he finally assumes he is out of his main element. He feels his feet on the ground now, after he got married and become a father of two. He explores earth.

#10 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

And here on earth, he shoots his photograph that I like the most, in Paris, 1985. (photo #12). Probably one of his most abstract images, inviting you to be there. In this one, if you’re a follower of the rules, you’ll be disappointed, as it seems that he broke them all. Even the basic rule of thirds. The main subject is on your left side. It reminds me another one, taken by Cindy Sherman, where there’s a lonely lady on the left, leaving the line-curve on the right so you can feel yourself there, or even a blank space for someone who’s yet to arrive.

#11 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Some people can break all the rules: they are called masters.

Patterns were also something that attracted Castello-Lopes. But not to be repeated. They existed to be different, even if this can seem awkward or non-sense. He doesn’t photograph a pattern; he gives us the concept of patterns. Like they exist in nature, or the walls created by seaweeds creating patterns that don’t exist… as a pattern. But as a whole. So that’s what he also brought, shooting ropes left at the sand by fishermen, or even trails left by their boats, wheels and feet. Or coming out from the sea and sand, already at the urban landscape the scaffolding that is used to build, with men and by men. And with men, is also the iconic photograph of them all turned back, in line, bending, looking at the sea. In Algarve, 1957 (photo #13).

#12 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

His marriage with Daniéle and the birth of his two children (daughter and son), brought him out of water, giving him a new universe, even if he never stopped diving in his mind and way of seeing. He was living on earth.

He now enjoys another element: Fire. Finally. That he started discovering with his series of blood at the bullfights, and later on with his other colour series of the burning scare crows (1996) (photo #14).

#13 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

If there is a need to cut Gérard Castello-Lopes photographic chronology in 2 parts -due to his marriage and the birth of their 2 children-, there’s a first part where he never left the Water, even if using the Air element to reflect it, and the second part -after being married and becoming a father-, where he is connected with Earth. And finally Fire. Scaring the crows. Playing Jazz.

Visit Gérard Castello-Lopes (1925-2011) exposition Apparitions (photography 1956-2006) curated by Jorge Calado. Centre Gulbenkian, Paris from April 25th to October 25th 2012.

#14 © Gérard Castello-Lopes
Please visit Apparitions, photography by Gérard Castello-Lopes for the full size image.

Yiorgos Kordakis, a Greek photographer who was one of my favorite discoveries in Arco Madrid, contributes to Camera Obscura with an article about his series of large format Polaroid Global Summer. He explains why he is fascinated by sea and summer holidays, and why he wants to compare the differences between places and states. How people enjoy the summer in USA, in Romania and India? Yiorgos Kordakis also explain that he is not interested in shooting in a journalistic style, but he prefers to be distant from the subject. The results are his wonderful photographs with tiny and blurred people under the infinite sky, all different or all the same?

Following text and images by Yiorgos Kordakis.

Global Summer #32
© Yiorgos Kordakis

I was born and raised in Greece, a country surrounded by the sea, the reason why my relation with water soon became a very intimate one. You see, we Greeks tend to consider our country as the best possible destination for one’s summer holidays, so we usually choose not to travel abroad while the summer lasts. Relatively, one could easily say that there is an unbreakable bond among the people of Greece, the Mediterranean Sea and the Greek beautiful islands. Having this notion in mind, I came up with the idea of this project, curious to learn how the people of other countries around the globe spend their own summertime; this project tends to record the different ways people all over the world enjoy their summer and the sea. Nevertheless, my interest hasn’t been on shooting this project through a reporter’s view. I liked more the idea of thinking my self as a far observer and I deliberately kept a distance from the scenery I was shooting at times.

Global Summer #18
© Yiorgos Kordakis

My whole perspective was based on the vision I have when imagining the earth, and everything it holds on it, as being photographed from high above the sky. If this vision could be actually depicted on a film we would then realize the charisma that water has, that is to function as a bewitching huge blue magnet that attracts all of us humans.

Just imagine that globally, everyday, millions of people fly, drive or walk to reach exotic destinations, beaches, pools, rivers or parks just to be closer to water. Maybe that could be scientifically explained by the fact that we spend the first 9 months of our creation swimming in some other water, the “liquid of life”…

So, my whole photographic perception came from this vision of mine, that we could see ourselves from the sky, on a global scale.

Global Summer #8
© Yiorgos Kordakis

At this point I must admit that, besides the fact that I really love technology, I don’t like the digital turn that Photography has taken over the last years. Nevertheless, I do shoot digital when I work for commercial reasons but I am not yet ready to move into that area for my personal projects. Therefore, for this present project I used an Arca Swiss 4×5 camera which made the whole process very difficult, basically because of the usually high temperature of summer locations, plus the existence of a lot of sand in the same areas, which is always a problem.

I decided to use Polaroids instead of conventional films for several different reasons, before Polaroid’s announcement regarding the discontinuance of its Films Production. When I first heard the news I was so shocked that I rushed into purchasing as many films as I could. Today, I just enjoy the fact that “Global Summer” might be the last Project done with Polaroids, and to me this could sound even as slightly romantic… as being the remnant of an era!

Global Summer #36
© Yiorgos Kordakis

There were two things I was seeking for my shots: Interesting, photographically speaking, locations and a “good contrast of summer”. Finally, I felt astonished when I realized the different ways people enjoy summer, something I had never thought of up to the moment I decided to do this project, to study and get prepared for my trips. On #18 for example, you can see people having fun on an artificial beach and the fake wave. This is a shot taken in USA. These people, mainly tourists, have travelled from all over the world to visit this place, but I can’t imagine my self or any other Greek enjoying an artificial beach. On the other hand, in #8 which was taken in India, I saw people getting into water with their clothes on, because of their culture, while on the beach there were all kind of animals wondering around, among people. You can actually see a white cow among them in this shot. Once again, I fail to imagine such a scene in any western country. I also realized that Indians go the beach to interact socially, and they remain there long after the sunset, when another party begins, with food served, lights and music on. In #36 which was shot in Budapest, where people don’t have access to the sea and lakes are a few miles away, people chose to enjoy the sun on public pools. These pools are actually natural mineral springs, busy even when it snows, but it is so interesting that such landscapes can be found only in one, unique part of the world. It adds so much to that “global” contrast I was seeking. I also visited Beirut, which is surrounded by the sea, but instead of long crowed beaches, I found numerous pools, both private and public, most of them being right next to the sea. It seems that Lebanese prefer these pools more than the sea, where they definitely enjoy themselves. I haven’t yet found another place with so many pools, especially when the sea is so close and easily accessible.

Global Summer #4
© Yiorgos Kordakis

#4 is another interesting place I visited during my journey. It’s a famous beach on the island of Zakinthos, in Greece. This is a completely remote place, the only access to it being by the sea. I had to visit the island three times before I managed to take this shot. People go there by boats of different kinds and sizes, but when the sea is even slightly rough, small boats can’t approach it. I wanted to shoot this photo with the beach full of people, and I was very unlucky with my first two attempts. There, the temperature usually rises above 40C and there is nowhere to hide. I was afraid that my camera would “melt”. In any case, it was always interesting and funny the way people reacted before a huge camera in the middle of a beach. Americans seemed more relaxed as they have a great photographic culture and they are accustomed to these things, Greeks were confusing it with a video camera and were asking questions like “which TV channel are you from?”, Indians used to gather around me and look at me like if I were from Mars! It has all been part of the priceless experience one gets in such cases and it was always nice to chat with people, even though I felt like replying to the same questions at such a point that I felt like I was needlessly repeating my self over and over again! I finally chose these certain photos out of the whole project because they represent both the global and the contrast I was looking for. I would love to go on shooting endlessly more and more locations and places around the world, but unfortunately I had to accept that this the end of an era.