Modern Valencia

City of Arts and Sciences. L'Hemisfèric.

I´m not a modern art lover. In fact I believe 99% of modern-art-artefacts are rubbish. If one puts a 1425 "Saint Josef in his workplace" painting of Robert Campin, one of the greatest Renaissance painters, in the garage, it´s still a great piece of art. If one puts a modern-art piece in the garage, it´s obviously a trash. "Art in the gallery-rubbish in the garage" - this is how I define modern "art".

The only art that somehow has survived in our post-modernism world is architecture.
We´ve been lucky to see two masterpieces of modern architecture genius: Santiago Calatrava. One was in Valencia last November: City of Arts and Sciences. The other is located "right under our noses" in Lisbon, Portugal: Oriente Train Station.

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is really impressive. At first a "wow" factor dominates. Ultramodern architecture with good taste. Lots of water pools. Spacious. Very nicely illuminated. White and transparent. Made of heavy materials but somehow remains light.

The Hemesferic was the first building to be completed in 1998. Looking from the right angle it resembles a huge eyeball floating above a pool of water. The eye even blinks with the aid of a steel and glass shutter operated by hydraulic lifts. Looking from the sharp angle the Hemisferic and the Oceanografic resemble a huge fish.

Opera House ( photo below ) was opened in 2005. For me ( I am a big"Star Wars" fan ) it definitely looks like an Imperial Star Destroyer space ship.

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía is the final segment of Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences.

That November night Lucas and Agnieszka went shopping. I stayed and took about 500 shots of the City of Arts and Sciences in the sipping rain. The rain clouds went low the way they reflected red and blue city lights. No wind, no tourists, no flashes. Photos went very well: micro bubbles of falling rain did all the job.
After they came back we headed for "Civera" restaurant in Valencia´s Old Quarter ( recommended by the "Good Food" magazine ) to taste the best classic paella valenciana.

Time: early weekend of November 2008, Valencia, Spain. Rain. Camera: Nikon D80. Photo 1: F22, Fl 20mm, Nikkor 17-80mm, ISO 560, HDR +2,-2,0 exp., no flash, no filter. Photo 2: F11, Fl 10 mm, Sigma 10-20 mm, no flash, tripod. Photo 3: panorama made of 6 horizontals.


Maciek.