Pygmalion Karatzas
Architectural, Fine Art & Commercial Photography

Introduction to 'Future Memories'

This book is part of my ‘Integral Lens’ project awarded with the Fulbright Artist Scholarship 2015-16. The University of Tennessee Knoxville was the affiliated academic institution and professor of architecture Mark DeKay the supervisor. The subject of the project was an integral approach to the study and representation of the built environment through the photographic medium. During a 5-month period, approximately 9,600 miles were traveled by plane, 4,200 miles by car, 1,300 miles by public commuting, and 750,000 steps walking. In total about 12,000 still images were taken from 150 buildings and locations, 65,000 images in time-lapse video, 20 meetings and interviews, and 300 hours in post-processing and editing. These “marathon-like” figures reflect the author’s eagerness to seize an opportunity of a life time, and his continuous admiration for architecture and photography.

After an initial research for each location, examples of modern and contemporary architecture were selected and mapped out. Each day as many of them as possible were visited for commercial style photo-shoots, utilising the fast-paced editorial approach. The photo-shoots required a heightened coordinations of multiple faculties: managing of time and resources, continuous adaptation to new conditions, logistical issues of accessibility and permissions, 15-20 thousand steps of walking with heavy gear per day, to name a few. The photo-walks and selection of locations were based on thematic groups already established but also on exploring and experimenting with new ones. For the editorial subjects, hundreds of images per building were taken. The initial selection narrowed them down to 30-40 and from those about 15-20 images were selected for post-processing. A natural high dynamic range editing reveals both highlights and shadows of the raw file which then is further processed in selective areas within the frame to add presence, depth and complementary lighting. The final images are then sequenced to narrate the project from context to frontal portraits to details, from exterior to interior, from daytime to dusk, with people and movement or unobstructed.

In the first three volumes of ‘Integral Lens’ the series ‘Future Memories’ presented a few images from the visited buildings. In this stand-alone volume, the full editorial coverage of the buildings is presented in more detail. ‘Future memories’ is a genuine effort to portray the tour de force of contemporary American architecture. Public buildings are a point of attraction for every city and photography becomes the vehicle to explore and experience them more comprehensively. The selection of 52 projects from the 12 cities, is meant to provide an inspiring glimpse of the latest achievement in design and construction from the American continent, with a tireless dedication to architectural photography’s high standards, in service of the profession’s dissemination and cultural asset value. Half of them are presented in this publication and the other half will follow in volume two. Beyond the internal discourses of architectural theory, these examples of high-end architecture illustrate the sincere efforts of thousands of people to manifest the Beautiful, the Good and the True, individually and collectively. They learn from the past but they look to the future.

Pygmalion Karatzas
Architectural & Fine Art Photographer
B.Sc. Architecture
M.Sc. Urban Design