In his most recent photographic essay, “Modern Mirage”, photo artist Paul Clemence continues his interpretation of the work of legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. This time, Clemence uses the surface of the Pampulha Lake, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to reflect both literally and metaphorically the avant-garde vision conceived (in the early 1940s) by the late architect in his project for the Pampulha Modern Ensemble on that lake’s contouring shoreline. Semi-abstract, the series adds another layer to the perception of Niemeyer’s iconoclastic architecture, playing with the notion of what is real or simply an optical illusion, whether that be conceptual or atmospheric.
Project Name: Modern Mirage
Studio Name: Paul Clemence
“The notion of a mirage, that seductive illusion quality, I feel translates very well the work of Niemeyer, with its dreamlike futuristic aesthetic and its fluid shapes that challenge what we are accustomed to seeing as the real world”, says Clemence. “The atmospheric conditions that generate a mirage, that interplay of time, light and reflection, are very much important elements of my work, of the layered way I see the world and architecture.”
The series depicts the buildings of the Saint Francis Assis church, the Museum of Art and the Casa do Baile (or “Ballroom Hall”). Together these designs would catapult Niemyer’s career and revolutionize Architecture, becoming benchmarks for the Modern movement, and in 2016 the ensemble was recognized as such by being designated an Unesco World Heritage Site.
“It is such an honor to be able to do this sort of ‘collaboration’ with the Modern master. This has always been one of my favorite projects of his (and apparently was one of his as well), so this is a very special creative, artistic opportunity”, – Clemence
