Shortlisted Photographers 2012 – Manuel Vazquez
“In a society full of prying eyes like ours, everyone can become both spectator and actor in the quotidian spectacle. With CCTV cameras scattered in every public space our dwelling leaves traces behind, stored as visual codes. Choreographed crowds transit the nameless global city during their daily commuting, with self-absorbed pedestrians experiencing the paradox of public space; between anonymity and scrutiny. Non-places are where this paradox turns explicit and evident, and this is where my project was undertaken with the intention of constructing imaginary urban landscapes that comment on our exposure to city life.”
Manuel Vazquez (Colombia) is based in London. He has a master’s in photography and urban culture from Goldsmiths University. He has also studied international cultural cooperation in Barcelona and economics in Colombia. His work was exhibited at the Liverpool Biennal in 2010, and, in 2009, in the Flash Forward (Magenta Foundation, Canada) and PhotoEspaña (Descubrimientos) festivals.
