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Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday Shoot-out – My town, To Preserve is Fundamental

 

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Last week while taking photos of bars and restaurants in downtown Friburgo, I snapped a photo, from across the street, of some open upstairs windows of a building where I know there is a nightclub.  I saw the shadow of chairs inside and thought maybe it was something I could use.  I didn’t really see the sign on the outside wall of the building.  Once home and downloading the photos I saw that this sign says,

“to preserve is fundamental” Revitalization of the antique facades of Nova Friburgo. 

There is a project or promotion happening to make our town show a little better.  In this area of Brazil there are many small towns that have preserved their architectural  integrity.  I have taken you to a few of these towns  via 'small places' in prior blogs.  To me Friburgo has never been one of these cute, well cared for towns.  But with this sign I have begun to hope that they (the people of Nova Friburgo) will start to see their town buildings as something to be cared for – to be made clean and to be seen by themselves as well as those from the outside.

When I walk in the center of Friburgo, the buildings along the streets show fatigue and a lack of a sense of aesthetics.     

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The signs for the stores are HUGE and often expensive looking – all different in size, shape, and color. 

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DSC_2990They often cover the the bottom of the second story balconies and windows.  And leave you with a sense of confusion throughout the town.

I went back downtown this week to take photos of examples of this … ‘mess’ and came back with the new conclusion that yes there is a revitalization going on.  You have to look for it.  If you don’t let your eye see the signs, or the traffic snarls, or the electric and telephone wires still in the 1950s mode; there are many buildings that have been repainted, with the facades repaired, but you have to look up – look up to the second story to see the potential of this city.  DSC_2997DSC_2999DSC_2994

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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20 comments:

  1. From my side of the planet it does still look very unique....

    I hear what you are saying about the signs etc ...

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  2. I particularly like the colorful revitalization of laundry. The architecture of clean towels.

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  3. The architecture is stunning and certainly worth preserving. One of the things I love about the Friday Shootout is seeing how differently cultures have adapted their structures to reflect different climates and cultural traditions.

    And Brazil has some of the most stunning.

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  4. You've captured it all so beautifully Ginger V, though I knew you would. Your photography skills grow every week as evidenced by the beauty in your posts. I love them all but the one of the washline with the brilliantly colored towels hanging in the sun is fabulous!!
    Did you say you got my autographed picture of your hunk Edgar?
    Tell hot-buns Prince and I send greetings, hugs and kisses from Newnan.

    Steady On
    Reggie Girl

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  5. thank you all for the very early morning comments - nice to wake up to. I know the towels didn't fit into the dialog.... I take the photos and then start writing and pull photos that show the dialog - BUT I couldn't pass up the colors - they are the same colors as is being used on the buildings... does that help.

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  6. I guess it says a lot about all of us, WE LIKE CLEAN and BRIGHTLY COLORED TOWELS! Because that is the picture that stands out the most to me too.

    All your pictures pop with color and sunshine.

    Happy weekend!

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  7. I agree with butler and bagman, the last photo, the hanging colorful clothes is awesome hahaha. Brazil really has different structures of buildings somewhat like Mexico too. Thanks for sharing your photos, I can see Brazil now through your blog.

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  8. I'm loving this look at your city. I may never get to travel there so this is definitely the next best thing.

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  9. I think the laundry line is my favorite.

    I love how bold and bright and airy your photos feel. You capture the light perfectly.

    :)

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  10. I very much enjoyed the photos, giving me an idea of what it looks like in a different part of the world. If I can not travel, then it is just great to sit here in my chair and see the world through the eyes of fellow bloggers! It does not get much better then that. My favorite picture is the adorable styled home, second to last picture, next to those much talked about towels!! :-) Hey, I for one love those towels too, only because of the colors. You would never see such bright colors hanging from a clothesline here, where the german people tend to like more subdued natural tones. I sometimes feel as if I am going into "color-less shock" here.

    Ginger V, thank you so much for your kind comment on my recent post. I was so pleased to see that you had stopped by for a visit. I found your blog thru my delightful and one of a kind friends, Patty and ReggieGirl. you just gotta love those two!! I wonder what this world would be like if we could clone those two!! ciao, and fond greetings from Germany, Debby

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  11. I like the wodden doors and the red and white building the best, those two images are so different in my mind, yet they encompass the wide range of building styles!

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  12. Ginger,

    The restoring of older buildings is a trend getting stronger in Brazil since the 90's.
    Sao Paulo has done a lot of work cleaning up their downtown and restoring beatiful old buildings.
    The city of Sao Paulo recently passed a law banning store signs bigger than 3 feet by 6 feet wide.
    I could clearly notice the difference when visiting the city recently, it is a lot better.
    It looks like Nova Friburgo would look a lot better without those huge store signs...


    Ray

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  13. It is nice to know that they are trying to revitalize. I hate to see history crumble. The old towns need to be preserved, and it looks like they are taking the right steps.

    The laundry caught my eye as a great photo. After reading the comments, I see it was a winner with everyone.

    I love to see brightly colored laundry blowing in the wind. And I love to see old towns being spiffed up.

    Great choice. I love the "open subject" assignment. It is always a surprise to see what ideas others have come up with. We should do it more from time to time.

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  14. Patty I also liked the open topic - not for me I struggled - too structured - but the others I have been reading have been really great. All the places have special aspects not easily fit into a 'catagory' so next week is May Day???

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  15. those preserved buildings are just gorgeous

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  16. As usual, lovely photos.

    I always loved the pastel colors of the homes and buildings in Brazil.

    Another thing I noticed, especially in Salvador, is that there is often art work on buildings, maybe a design in ceramic tiles or in bas relief. I have some photos of those kinds of buildings, on slides. I'll have to find them and scan them for one of my own posts.

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  17. As long as there are people who are interested, there is hope. Architecture is our man made beauty and we do need to protect and restore it. You've provided a wonderful selection of shots of past and present. It will be interesting to see what the future holds in store.

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  18. Very nice photos. I really liked the towel shots. I would love to be a part of the friday shoot-outs. Thanks!

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  19. Yes, those are roman numerals in the fish and this fish is above a door to a church.

    I do not know the exact history about the symbolism of a fish to Christians, but my guess is when Jesus fed 5000 people with two fish and a loaf of bread.

    :)

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