UncategorizedSeptember 15, 2015<March 8, 2018

Today’s Photo – Buenos Aires, Argentina

This was my introduction into the world of IMPA, La Fabrica Ciudad Cultural. Touted as a pioneer of the factory revival movement sweeping Argentina during the last two years, IMPA is the most successful model of a factory turned cooperative. After being declared bankrupt and on the verge of closure in 1997, the workers decided to take their destinies into their own hands and revive factory production, which had been severely damaged by corruption, economic crisis, and appalling working conditions. By 1998, the factory workers had taken over IMPA, creating a people-run cooperative. But there’s more to this story. Students, artists and activists of all stripes then approached the cooperative with the idea of turning the space into a cultural center. And the public campaign bore fruit: Since the take-over, the factory has boomed with metallurgic production during the day, while in the evenings, the space has become a beehive of cultural activity. The city of Buenos Aires declared IMPA a sight of cultural interest in 2001, and the factory is now a micro-society and the place to be for exchange of creative ideas. IMPA hosts over thirty workshops every week, on subjects such as theater, dance, music, photography and writing, and has a regular repertoire of theater performances, concerts and visual arts exhibits. Whether you want to learn about photography or documentary filmmaking, tango or capoeira, poetry or African drumming, head to IMPA and you’ll find something to suit your tastes. That evening, I walked away elated. The performance and the environment of IMPA challenged and inspired me. Since Argentina's most recent economic collapse in December 2001, over 150 abandoned and bankrupt factories have followed suit, taking an active stance to secure their own livelihood and change the face of politics. What’s more, they have been widely supported by the public. Throughout my stay in Buenos Aires, I came across signs of the factory revival movement in all quarter — This was my introduction into the world of IMPA, La Fabrica Ciudad Cultural. Touted as a pioneer of the factory revival movement sweeping Argentina during the last two years, IMPA is the most successful model of a factory turned cooperative. After being declared bankrupt and on the verge of closure in 1997, the workers decided to take their destinies into their own hands and revive factory production, which had been severely damaged by corruption, economic crisis, and appalling working conditions. By 1998, the factory workers had taken over IMPA, creating a people-run cooperative. But there’s more to this story. Students, artists and activists of all stripes then approached the cooperative with the idea of turning the space into a cultural center. And the public campaign bore fruit: Since the take-over, the factory has boomed with metallurgic production during the day, while in the evenings, the space has become a beehive of cultural activity. The city of Buenos Aires declared IMPA a sight of cultural interest in 2001, and the factory is now a micro-society and the place to be for exchange of creative ideas. IMPA hosts over thirty workshops every week, on subjects such as theater, dance, music, photography and writing, and has a regular repertoire of theater performances, concerts and visual arts exhibits. Whether you want to learn about photography or documentary filmmaking, tango or capoeira, poetry or African drumming, head to IMPA and you’ll find something to suit your tastes. That evening, I walked away elated. The performance and the environment of IMPA challenged and inspired me.
Since Argentina’s most recent economic collapse in December 2001, over 150 abandoned and bankrupt factories have followed suit, taking an active stance to secure their own livelihood and change the face of politics. What’s more, they have been widely supported by the public. Throughout my stay in Buenos Aires, I came across signs of the factory revival movement in all quarter

On the street, I define an “Urban Landscape” as a photograph that captures the human experience, but there are no people in them. Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly quiet, I go out and just focus on the urban landscape. When you are looking for something it’s a lot easier to find it.

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