Artist: Nicolai Balkow
Paper: Alu Dibond
Photo size: 40 x 60 cm
 
About "Vertical Village 02"
"Many buildings have been destroyed across Europe during World War II. As population started to grow again and living space was rare, large apartment blocks were built within a rush, with the same cost-efficient and brutal monotony. Human scale was lost and the residents were immerged into anonymity.  Through privatization and a willful legislation, Sofia’s city landscape changes according to the taste of their apartment owners by revealing some of their individuality. The residents develop an interaction with the city: Starting from anonymously stacked apartments, the residents change volumes, architectural elements and colors, thereby creating a sort of vertical residential area with a human touch. This “wild urbanism” develops a particular fascination and offers an unplanned diversity and poetry in the urban landscape." Sofia, 2017 and 2018 
 
About Nicolai Balkow
Born in 1970 in South Germany, with German and Swiss nationality.

Diploma of Architecture from Strasbourg, France (2000).

Lived and worked as an architect in Strasbourg until 2006, now based in Riehen and Basel, working at the University of Basel.

I focus on documenting transience in urban landscapes and architecture, using both digital and analogue photography to capture the fragile, fleeting moments we often overlook. My work aims to sharpen the viewer’s senses, encouraging a deeper exploration of the environment.

Tools: Digital and analogue cameras (Pentax Asahi ES, Voigtländer Vito, Franka Solida, Fujifilm X-T30, Panasonic Lumix LX 7).