In New York City clouds and skies are a mere reflection on the glasses of modernity built by men. Geometric structures seem to triumph over nature, there is little space for green. Sure there is central park, the lung of New York, but even from there a background of glass and steel arises over the horizon and the skyscraper seem to compete for the clouds.
Photographed in March and April of 2018.
Shot in New York City in April 2018.
Wandering the nameless and grid-like streets of New York you feel like a particle trapped in some kind of computersystem. The streets being streams of data rushing relentlessly through the motherboard. On the way to midtown the houses become ever larger and you seem to be more and more irrelevant, a lost particle in a perfectly structured system. After some time you reach the square shaped central park which looks like the green chip on the motherboard. The last refuge of mother nature on the island of Manhattan gives you a break and you may reflect upon the differences to European cities. By comparison they seem more naturally grown, shaped by history and necessity with dwindling roads and overgrown parks, more human and less grid like. They are designed as well of course, but their artificiality seems to be hidden behind history, individuality and to be more human in size. But if the buildings seem to touch the sky and the roads are endless grids everything may be possible in the end and that’s the secret of the so called American dream: To escape the motherboard, to be more than a nameless particle, you need to find a way through the grid and climb the sky.
This year again, as in 2017 before, I had the chance to visit one of the most picturesque countries in Europe and also my former home – Portugal. Most of the pictures I wanted to share with you from these particular two trips I did so already, you will find them here, here or here. However I did not share them all. There are some shots I didn’t yet put on the website. I combined them into the series below titled “Details of Portugal”.
Rome is also called the eternal city, as it is withstanding any winds of change for 28 centuries already and is supposed to exist until the end of civilization. Sometimes the city can feel heavy in history and weight though, like the monumental statues decorating it. It can be busy too – especially during tourist season. But there are always places and moments to let it all in and feel the romance and melancholy of Rome.
This article is part of the “Urban Discoveries” series, in which we seek and discover interesting and well designed places to eat and drink around Europe and especially in Vienna. This time though we did something else and on the occasion of a bearded friends birthday and the need to buy him a present we visited a barber shop and did a shoot there. The text was written once again by my collaborator in this series Maximilian Martsch with the birthday child and soon to be model (probably) Lukas standing in. Thanks to the nice guys at Brothers Barbers for the warm welcome and the good time.
When you think about a beauty salon for men, Brothers’ Barbershop is probably pretty close to what you’d imagine. It’s a happy place for the bearded half of the population, well bearded until they leave again. Or a little less bearded. Or bearded in a more nicely way. Anyway you get the point.
Right when you enter you will be completely taken in by the stylish yet relaxed vibe of the place. Wooden shelves full of all kinds of products for your manly hair and beard, exposed brick walls, a nice lounge corner if you have to wait for your appointment, and of course the old fashioned, black leather barber chairs. It’s a mix of modern interior design and good splash of nostalgia which is best displayed by the vintage ads for shaving necessities. While you wait for your appointment you can enjoy a beer, a coffee or even a cocktail if you are up for the extra kick – they definitely want you to feel comfortable.
And yes, of course they also have a traditional barber’s pole spinning happily outside of their shop. A little trivia on the side: the red, blue and white striped pole is the traditional sign for a barber to label his shop. It is said to be in use as a trade sign already since the middle ages. There are several explanations for the use of red, blue, and white. Probably the most ghoulish one refers to the spill of blood (blue represents venous blood) and the use of white bandages which goes back to a time when barbers were also consulted for simple medical procedures, like tooth extractions.
Blood is luckily not an all too frequent sight at Brother’s Barbershop – at least nothing happened during our visit. But joke aside, even though the barber’s use open razors, they are all well trained and know exactly how to handle their equipment so you always feel in safe hands. The barbers are also part of the experience at Brothers. Not only are they the living examples of up-to-date hair and beard styles, but they are constantly cracking jokes with each other and the costumers which definitely contributes to the friendly fraternal feeling in the shop.
The interior, the banter, the clean shape, and hot towel in the end, all of it makes a visit at Brothers’ Barbershop a real treat. It might be not the cheapest option to get a haircut and shave but the quality and overall experience totally compensate for that. If you want to visit Brothers’ Barbershop yourself make sure to get an appointment beforehand, because their waiting list can get pretty plong.
For more information, impressions, and appointments go to http://www.barbershop.wien/.
