Far from the noteworthy neighborhoods that often have buildings design by renowned architects, São Paulo's houses capture the modest scale that permeates the identity of its citizens. Alberto Simon, an artist based in the city of São Paulo, photographed the remarkable details of these unassuming housing in his project titled "tamanho_M," which roughly translates to Size M.
Find out more about the project in the artist's own words and see the impressive photos below.
"tamanho_M is a direct encounter with the idea of the middle, the "in between," the equilibrium point, that is visible at the scale and architecture of residential façades in São Paulo's middle-class, traditional neighborhoods such as Mooca, Cambuci, Ipiranga, Santana, Jardim São Paulo, Saúde, and others. It is significant that these districts are not defined by the adjective "noble," and that the architecture represented here is not the result of an architectural authorship, but rather represents a vernacular specific to São Paulo, and recognizable as such.
It is a counterpoint to the way in which São Paulo is most commonly portrayed as an immeasurable agglomeration that grows in all directions, and in particular, expressed vertically. Located in the "interior" of São Paulo and despite the city's size, the series reveals the inner city manifested in the different neighborhoods that have their own centers, traditions, and self-sufficiency.
tamanho_M was carried out during 2005/06. Some of the houses depicted here no longer exist, and, innumerable others, which would have been of interest in this documentation, could not be photographed due to the addition of walls and gates that preclude an unobstructed view of the original design."
For more information about the project, contact the artist by email or on Instagram @alberto.simon.01.
