In my June post, I shared part of the work I did as a preparation of my annual workshop by FineArtPix I do together with some other addicts in the beautiful Ticino, the Italian speaking canton of Switzerland. The Photography part of the workshop was this time the city of Lugano, situated at a beautiful lake in the mild climate of the southern Alps. Now I would like to share some of the pictures taken and worked out in this workshop. The definition of Monochrome is – as mentioned already in the June – not limited to Black and White. What I also discovered is that there are also various ways of reducing and changing the saturation and tonality of the pictures, so that the border between a “true” monochrome picture in Black and White or toned Black and White, and having only a little breath of color is very narrow. Hence you find in this blog three different styles.
Spy Novel
Striving around Monte Bré in Lugano off the beaten track offers some special findings like these that could also be safe houses and dead letterboxes of a John Le Carré spy novel. This atmosphere is emphasized by the mysterious glow of the trees and the dark, spooky tonality.
Parking blues
Close to Ciani Park, there is a parking entrance and exit build in 2007 by Giraurdi Wettstein Architects. Its modern architecture contrasts nicely with the surrounding buildings. The light blueish tonality nicely reflects the cool concrete and metal architecture, even though the real colors are much stronger.
Not from this world
Another interesting site is this skater park located between the Lugano cemetery and the “Stadio comunale di Cornaredo”, home of Lugano’s soccer team. The strange tonality of the concrete structures and the sky makes it look like a scene from another planet.
“For me, architecture is not just creating a space to protect people but to make them dream as well.”
Mario Botta, Swiss Architect *1943
