Visual spaces of change Between fiction and reality. The role of photography and image manipulation in critical debates on architecture and public space

Abstract

This article explores the relationships between the virtual dimensions of photography and concrete physical realities within the framework of the contemporary discourse of Architecture, City and Territory. Drawing on the works of Filip Dujardin, Isabel Brison, Philipp Schaerer, Beate Gütschow, Dionisio Gonzalez, Emilio Pemjean and Thomas Ruff, we analyse different approaches to digital image manipulation for the creation of utopian and dystopian visions of urban landscapes. Through the analysis of concrete examples of the use of photography as an instrument to explore architectural ideas and forms, the construction of imaginary spaces and constructions is analysed as a constituent part of the visual research methods developed by these authors, which can be incorporated into the critical debate on the urban environment. A number of relationships between the artistic strategies developed by these authors are analysed, with a focus on the various methods used by them for the construction of visual narratives and the construction of imaginary structures and spaces. The theoretical relevance and potential of the photographic works analyzed are highlighted, identifying key aspects and particularities that make these authors important references for understanding photography as a critical documentary and fictional instrument to understand, explore and communicate contemporary urban changes, with a special focus on architecture and public space.