Jan Brouckaert Photography

Portugal

LISBON


"Wise is he who enjoys the show offered by the world” – Fernando Pessoa





Lisbon, the light, the colors, the dynamics of the city movement all creating an immens and vivid melting pot that has the same attraction on a photographer as an ice-cream on a child.


As a photographer you are the spectator or sportsman with goal it is to capture the right moment when the symbiosis between persons, light and objetcs creates harmony or a even beter a story to tell.


The main thing that stroke me while spending some time in Lisbon was the difference between its mainly older inhabitants with their calm peacefull way of life and the hordes of younger tourist that seem to come from everywhere pushing themselves into long waiting cues for all the tourist ‘should-do’ things, they go mostly at a much higher speed.


The tourists seem to disrupt the Lisbon classical lifestyle, at first view, they look completely out of place against the architectural scenery and the calm of the city.


At a second view these 'intruders' seem to create a new dimension, not only in movement  but also in the conception of new places such as co-working spaces, exquisite lounge & eating places, or the profilation of graffitit and street art that adds a new more dynamic layer to the city.


However, Lisbon doesn't throw away its heritage and it is sometimes good at preserving it: The city has large number of well kept museums and chrurches, it is easy enough to find some traditional Lisbon restaurants, and the architecture of the city is mainly respected inside the city.



So while Lisbon is evolving from an historic city into the 21st century, it is reinventing itself day by day and a nice & fresh new generation sometimes helped or immersed by a stream of tourists, it'is adding a new skin to it's existence but it doesn’t throw away its history and traditions, it creates a layer of civilation on top of the existing one the renewal doesn't clash with the existing one, they nicely melt together.


The photo document you are seeing intends to do the same, it focuses on the emotions between these actors of the Lisbon society. It displays fragments of how the city on the Atlantic is transforming. You will see moments when symbols come together, moments to reflect upon, or like Fernando Pessoa would have put it, ‘moments in time of the show of the Lisbon World.’