Post 10: Research

The photograph I chose, Barcelona Nights, was taken this year on may 26th. It is located in Barcelona, Spain. Sense I felt that the center of attention in the photo was the two buildings, it is important to find out alittle more about the purpose and history of them. The two tall buildings in the center of the photo are the Hotel Arts, and the Torre Mapfre. Both are located just across the street from the Mol de Xaloc Marina. The torre Mapfre is known as one of the cities most famous buildings. It is 154 meters in height (40 stories), has a facade composed of granite and stainless steel, and includes a helipad on the roof. The Torre Mapfre is used mostly for commercial purposes, however, it also includes an observation platform ans well as several bars at ground level. Right next to it, is the Hotel Arts which is located in the Marina Village in Barcelona. It is also 154 meters in height but its design is much more comprised of aluminum. As the name implies, its main use is a hotel, but also includes a fitness center, casino, shops and a restaurant. When looking at the function of these two buildings, one may assume that they have no real relationship to each other, but If one looks at the fact that they are the exact same height and located right across the street from each other, it can be inferred that the architects intended for the buildings to share some sort of relationship to each other. Both buildings are of great importance to the city of Barcelona, one for its businesses and the other for tourism. Going back to the photograph, The fact that these two buildings seem to be of top importance of the visual hierarchy, possibly reflects the real life importance of the structures to Barcelona, or at least the value of them in the eyes of the photographer. The lighting in the photo forms a triangle and directs some attention to the top of the buildings, this may be draw attention to the matching heights of the buildings. Since the Hotel Arts includes restaurants and a casino, it makes sense that this area in general would often be a very popular place at night time, matching with the title of the photo. The contrast of light in the photo may be trying to represent that at night, attention is drawn from the dark area, the shore, and towards these to buildings in the center of the triangle of light.

Post 9:2nd pre-write

For this post, I will focus more on the technical aspects of the photograph "Barcelona Nights" that I briefly discussed in post eight. In my opinion, the main vectors of attention in the Barcelona Nights photograph are the two high rise buildings near the center of piece. I feel this way because In addition to the buildings being centered, they also form the peak of an apparent triangle as well as heavily contrast with the illuminated night sky. Everything else in the photo seems relatively short in stature and doesn't really stand out of the darkness. In the photo to the right,if you look closely, you can see the same two buildings a ways down the coastline. In this photo neither of those buildings command anywhere near the same amount of attention. In terms of logos, if the photographer did indeed wish for the two buildings two be the center of attention, centering them in the piece automatically creates a balance and hierarchy that is very easy for any audience member to follow. For pathos, I believe the photographer relied on the lighting to set a "mood" in the piece. For example, when most people see light, they feel some sense of energy, so naturally, having light encompassing these two buildings implies that there is a certain energy about these buildings at night time. I feel this point also drifts abit into the rhetorical appeal of Barcelona Nights. Bright lights two both sides and the top of the two buildings form an apparent triangle figure, which appears to be funneling light from the peak of the buildings down to the city below. I believe that the intended rhetorical appeal is something to the effect of how the large commercialism or tourism factor in Barcelona is what keeps the city going or fuels it through "nights" or the dark times. Reffering back to the photo I put up on this post, I think it is important to remember that these two buildings, while tall, usually dont stand out that much with respect to barcelonas massive coast, especially during the day. The Use of black and White as the only colors in Barcelona Nights, could possibly be used as a means to express a sort of simplicity reffering to the fundamental or driving force of the city itself.