Bruno Castaing, a French photographer and a Rio de Janeiro resident of 25 years, has long been passionate about diving and underwater photography. In his mind, being a “Carioca” doesn’t just mean living in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It’s also a state of mind, almost a philosophy acquired through the privilege of residing in a magical city where nature is generous and omnipresent. Being a “Carioca” also means “seeing Corcovado in your rearview mirror, inhaling the sea breeze, smelling the forest after the rain, appreciating the simplicity of things and people, philosophically accepting the urban chaos, it is a sort of music, a smile … getting in touch with nature.”
To carry out this project, the fashion and advertising photographer used studio techniques and digital manipulation to obtain hyperrealist results where his models have the impression of being in an aquarium in perfect harmony with nature. The Carioca state of mind is represented as a large glass case, an aquarium, a salt-water purgatory where the city’s inhabitants come to recharge. The characters represented in this work in one way or another benefit from this positive energy to champion the lifestyle that has made Rio de Janeiro the hottest seaside resort in the world.
