#13 Parghelia

Parghelia is small town on the western coast of Calabria, overlooking Stromboli and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Parghelia has been flattened by several earthquakes, most recently in 1905, which led to it being almost completely reconstructed following a semi-grid plan. This gives the town a very untypical layout for Italy, especially southern Italy. It is sometimes reminiscent of the planned colonial towns of South America. This, with the slightly faded ambience, the Calabrian light, and a general air of detachment from the very nearby seaside, not to mention the subtle relics of the Fascist era, adds up to a very photogenic location.

This set was taken in August 2018. Shot on Portra 400 with the Cosina/Voigtlander Bessa III 667. Film developed and scanned by Carmencita Film Lab.

Posted on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 06:26 PM • Permalink • Comments (0)

#12 Babo Hochhaus

The Babo Hochhaus (short for Bâtiment Administratif de Baden-Oos) is an eleven-storey building in the Baden-Baden district of Oos in Germany. It dominates the view from my in-laws apartment so its a familiar sight for me. It was built in 1954 and served as a management center for the French occupying forces and following NATO affiliated personnel up until 1999. The building was abandoned in 2000, and despite signs of sporadic maintenance it is fading. However due to its architectural significance it is classified as a historic building and presumably cannot be demolished. Apparently there have been various plans by Russian or Turkish investors to renovate it and turn into a conference centre or hotel or something, but nothing ever seems to come of these. Although it is loosely fenced off, it’s easy enough to wander around the grounds. So far nobody has shouted at me.

All photos taken with Olympus E-M5.2 and m.Zuiko 17mm f/1.2 lens. Processed using Mastin Labs Fuji Pro 160S film simulation.