Today I met a friend for lunch at Silo, the Alamo Heights location, not only to try the food, but also to check out the photographs by John Keoni Viriyapunts. The Hawaiian photographer has work there as part of Fotoseptiembre. The title of his series is called “Alapi’i, Series 2.” The title, appropriately Hawaiian, directly translates to “Steps and Stairs” in English. I really enjoyed his work. It was totally different than anything else I had gone to look at this semester. While his area of focus is not what I personally am interested in pursuing, I really appreciated the design aspect of his work. Each photograph incorporated stairs that from an architectural standpoint were contemporary in that they were made with several different building materials and rich in color. That is probably the first thing I noticed. The vivid colors grabbed my attention and I moved in for a closer look. It was then that I noticed the careful placement of lines within the composition. Viriyapunts photographs are more about lines, their variations, and their weights than about immediately being able to identify the structure being photographed. The lines and shapes created by the architecture and the shadows cast upon an array of textures seemed planned. Viriyapunts seems to be an expert at envisioning his photograph before he clicks the shutter button. To me, each photograph is recognized first as a piece of art before the staircase becomes apparent.
P.S. The lunch menu was affordable…the Portabella Melt…DELICIOUS!
Hi Stephanie, I accidentally came across your post this weekend searching for a distant relative & I'm so glad I saw it. Thanks for the great review. You hit the nail on the head when you said I can envision the result before I take the shot. It's all about composition, form & color for me. I'm glad you were able to see each image as art, while others just see the stairs. Thanks for your eloquent take on my vision.
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