Dossier Europe BW

8/3/2019 Dossier Europe BW

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Europein

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ExhibitionProposal


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Europe is so well gardened that it resembles a work of art, a scientic theory, aneat metaphysical system. Man has re-created Europe in his own image.

Aldous Huxley

All the photographs on this dossier are copyrighted material, and the exclusive property ofC. del Romero Photography. All rights reserved.


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Eifel Tower, Paris (France)

I. The idea o Europe

Europe denes us Europeans. It is a continent, a geographic concept, but also a

social, economic, political and cultural one. Covering around 10 million square

km and hosting around 740 million people, Europe is the third most populous

continent after Asia and Africa, with about 11% of the world's population. Its

boundaries enclose 50 dierent countries, from gigantic European Russia, with

110 million inhabitants, to almost microscopic Vatican City, with roughly 800.

Since 1957, a political and economic community has grown at the core of Europe,

currently encompassing 27 countries; a number that will grow with the future

incorporation of other candidate countries such as Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia,

Macedonia or Turkey.

Yet, and despite these obviously common cultural, economic and political bonds,

Europe remains a complex entity that hosts a handful of religions, cultures,

languages, ethnias, backgrounds and traditions. As Dutch journalist Geert Mak

remarked in his renowned historical itinerary through Europe's past century,

there is no single European people. There is no single all-embracing communityof culture and tradition among, say, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Berlin and Belgrade.


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In fact, there are at least four communities: the Northern Protestant, the Latin

Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, and the Muslim Ottoman. There is no single

language there are more than twenty. There are no real European political

parties. And most signicantly of all: unlike the United States, Europe still does

not have a common story.

The whole idea of Europe is a vague concept. Geographically, its boundaries are

not strictly dened. We know that, in the West, Europe is limited by the Atlantic

Ocean, and comprises several groups of islands as the Faroe, Madeira, the Canary

Islands or the Aores. Greenland, however, is traditionally represented as a part of

America, although belongs politically to Denmark and it is only a few miles north

of Iceland, still part of Europe.

It is to the East, though, where the geographical concept of Europe becomescomplicated to dene. It is separated from Asia only by the Bosphorus. Some say

Turkey belongs to Europe, some say it doesn't. Some say also Georgia, Armenia or

even Azerbaijan are parts of Europe. Europe's eastern boundary runs along

Russia, splitting the country in two through the icy steppes of the Urals. But it is

only a gurative border, not a real one.

Despite being smaller than some countries such as the US, Canada, Russia or

China, Europe encloses a richness of cultures, traditions and history that make it a

fascinating destination, unparalleled in the world. Whereas in other continents

you would have to travel miles and miles in order to nd a dierent culture, a

foreign language and a diverse historical heritage, in Europe you only need to

travel a few hundred miles to leave a world and enter a completely dierent one.

Some would say that there is not one Europe, but many. There is a Scandinavian

Europe, a Western Europe, a Mediterranean Europe, a Balkanic Europe, an Eastern

Europe... and the greatness of it underlies in the cultural diversity and heritage

linked to every single country that forms this hetereogeneous and dynamic

entity called Europe.

This exhibition aims at portraying the diverse, evolving nature of one of the most

fascinating, complex and culturally rich continents in the world at the beginning

of the 21stCentury.


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Houses o Parliament, London (UK)

II. Europe in Black and White

Europe in Black and White is a collection of photographs taken in the past ve

years in eleven European countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain,

Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bulgaria

and Turkey. The collection features photographs from more than 40 European

cities, among which the arch-famous London, Paris, Seville, Belgrade, Prague,

Sarajevo, Valencia or Istanbul; but also minor, less known towns such as Morella,

berlingen, Villarluengo, Kotor, Meersburg, Ely, Norwich, Arls or Bziers.

This project features a series of photographs which merge travel, architecture

and urban photography with ne arts, portraying the dierent cities from

audacious perspectives and angles, showing both the famous landmarks and the

uncommon sights of every town.

The common link between all these images is the use of black and white as a

means to express the cultural heritage of what is commonly known as The Old

Continent.


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Europe is often portrayed as a continent anchored in its past. In some of its

countries, almost every single town has a medieval church. Many major cities still

boast a wealth of centenary buildings, like medieval cathedrals and palaces, most

of which are still in use nowadays. Some little European towns have remained

virtually untouched for centuries, oering the visitor the chance to travel back in

time by getting lost in their cobblestone, narrow, centenary alleys.

Europe constantly looks at its past and aunts its immense cultural heritage with

pride. She knows that she is a product of the sum of each European country's

history. Europe in Black and White aims at representing this strong bond with the

past by portraying European cities and their cultural heritage in black and white

a chromatic remainder of the past providing each photograph with a halo of

nostalgie.

In these photographs we can easily identify some of the most famous European

landmarks, such as the Eiel Tower in Paris, the Big Ben in London, the Giralda in

Seville or the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. However, other images are more dicult

to associate with the city, like the cranes in Liverpool's George Docks, the

Bodensee near berlingen, Muslim graves in Mostar or contemporary

architecture in Valencia. It is the combination of these two factors famous

landmarks with less known features of a city what enriches the collection and

makes it dierent from other, past projects that have portrayed Europe.

The images that form this project are far from being traditional, commercial

photographs. The nal goal of this collection is to present Europe from an artistic

point of view, inviting the visitor to reect about the present and past of one of

the most complex and appealing areas in the world.


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City o Arts and Sciences, Valencia (Spain)

III. Details exhibition

1. Dates:to be determined

2. Title o the project:Europe in Black and White

3. Contact details:

Carlos del Romero Renau0044 7712808431 (English number)0034 667833608 (Spanish number)E-mail:[email protected] portfolio:http://www.cdelromero.com

4. Nature o the project:photographic exhibition
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.cdelromero.com/http://www.cdelromero.com/http://www.cdelromero.com/mailto:[email protected]


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5. Brie description o the project:

Europe in Black and White is an exhibition composed by a collection of

photographs in black and white taken in the past ve years in dierent European

cities. The project portrays dierent features of more than 40 towns and cities in

the continent, among which Prague, Valencia, London, Paris or Istanbul.

The photographs don't show strictly urban landscapes, but also hidden corners,

people and small details, with the nal objective of oering a dierent and

nostalgic portrait of every city. Locations are portrayed through their geometric

spaces, their textures or their landmarks; creating an intimate image of every city.

The collection features 76 photographs portraying 42 dierent European cities

from 11 dierent countries. However, the collection can be reduced to t the

requirements of the exhibition space. The cities represented in the project are:

COUNTRIES CITIES

Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar, Sarajevo

Bulgaria Plovdiv, Soa

Croatia Dubrovnik

Czech Republic Prague

France Arls, Avignon, Bziers, Carcassonne, Colmar, Paris,Schnenburg, Strassburg, Toulouse

Germany Freiburg, Meersburg, berlingen

Montenegro KotorSerbia Belgrade

Spain Girona, Morella, Seville, Toledo, Valencia,Villarluengo

Turkey Istanbul

United Kingdom Bath, Canterbury, Cardi, Ely, Liverpool, London,Manchester, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough,Salisbury, Stratford-upon-avon, Winchester, York,Wells

6. Itinerancy:

Originally, the project was designed to be an itinerant exhibition. However, this

could change depending on the requirements of the host organisation.

7. Budget:

All the photographs would be provided already framed, ready to be hanged.

Insurance and travel expenses would be covered by the photographer. The host

organisation would only have to cover additional expenses (informative panels,

leaets...), if any.


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8. Possible Interest or Vietnamese visitors:

Europe in Black and White portrays European cities from a dierent perspective.

European countries, and particularly famous cities such as Paris, London, Prague

or Istanbul are world-class touristic destinations, and the populations of Asian

countries have always shown interest in Europe, its culture and its heritage. The

fact that this exhibition presents these European cities from both a touristic and

an artistic point of view could draw the interest of visitors interested in Europe.

9. Additional details:

SPECIFICATIONS

Format PhotographsHost organisation Leaets, informative panels

Number of photographs 76

Sizes 23 x 15 cm

Time needed to mountthe exhibition

Less than one day

Time needed todismount the exhibition

Less than one day


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Thecollection


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Dossier Europe BW