Second Place Winner
Human
Design by
Eren Can Altay
Eren Can Altay
Eren Can Altay graduated from Architecture and Design Faculty of Bahcesehir University in 2017. Following year he has been accepted to Architectural History, Theory and Criticism master program at Istanbul Bilgi University. By completing his thesis- ‘Leftover Space as an Alternative Public Space and Individual Use Possibilities’- he had managed to graduate from the master program in 2020.
Also he participated in many national and international architectural competitions. He has won an equivalent award in Ytong Architectural Idea Competition in 2014 and visited Venice Biennale of Architecture as the reward. Beside from that, his group project was succeeded as an honorable mansion in “Labyrinth 2.0” Architectural Competition with the project named “Pan-topia”.
He had written a thesis in master degree and many other articles for other mediums such as architectural magazines, blogs or art galleries. His articles varied in scaled topics yet main topics are building analysis and thresholds between literature and architecture.
After he finished his internships in Azerbaijan and Turkey he started working as an architect in Istanbul Municipality. After 3 years of working experience in the institution, he moved to Hamburg Germany to work in Wagenknecht Architekten which he still works in.
Celebrating Creativity & Vision
Winner’s Spotlight: An Exclusive Interview
Discover the story behind the victory — from concept to creation.
Introduction
My name is Eren Can Altay and I am an architect from Turkey who lives in Hamburg. I am not a professional photographer yet but maybe as many architects it is one of my hobbies. For all my travels and sightseeings, I tried to catch some clear shots or aesthetic perspectives in the sense of architecture. Thus I can mention that architectural photography has somehow always been around me from the beginning of my university education as most architects.
Photography Concept
The site where I took the picture is Ernst Barlach Haus which is an art gallery and exhibition hall inside of a park in Hamburg. It was a time when I was still exploring the city with my camera and there I found the corner where two human statues were hanged on the outside of the brick wall.
Theme Exploration
Since the gallery is located in a park, the contrast between the building and the green landscape was already there. The striking point is the statues that are placed on the wall as if it pictures all the reasons how the building environment affected the natural landscape. Unfortunately the theme did not affect the shot directly because I wasn't aware of the competition while I took the picture. Yet the ideas behind my mind matched with the theme of the competition because it was the contrast of nature and build environment and the stance of humans in the situation that drove me to take the shot.
Technical and Artistic Choices
My main goal was to take a shot directly from the opposite of the statues. This would give me the perspective that I want from the composition. The edges of the building aligned vertical and horizontal in this way. This lets me create sharper and clearer images. On the other hand, natural elements don't have sharp edges, thus they bumped up in the composition which created the contrast even more crucial. Also symmetry was not something that I was looking for in the image to create a dynamism in the composition. Thus I didn’t place the human figures in the middle of the picture yet they stand in the right side of the picture.
Personal Connection
I dont have any particular connection to the environment featured in my photo. It was an exploration moment of the city for me which is a result of me being in the area for the first time.
Challenges and Triumphs
Even Though I didn't face any unique challenge that needed to be overcome. Only point that I may point out in this sence is the positions of tree branches. I needed to frame them so as not to catch the main focus and break the cleanness of the photo. I needed to find a balance for it. A little walk in the garden was enough to find a better angle to achieve what I wanted in my photo.
Impact and Message
The existence of human statues creates a narrative in the theme of nature and artificial. It shows the main characters of the situation and that is why I was interested in the composition of the photo. In the context this was the “meaning” that I was aiming to visualise and I believe that I have reached the point. Beside the compositional meaning and photographic aesthetic, I wasn't looking for any other “big” meanings that I would dare to give in just a single shot.
Reflections on Winning
I am so happy with the achievement because it is the first time that I am participating in a photography competition. I am in a period of time where maybe I can turn my hobby into something which also gives some additional benefits. The Urban Jungle Photography Challenge has been a nice start and hope in the process. Especially with a second winner photography, It lets me look for a different future and hope in the field of photography.
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