Francisco Vasconcelos is a Portuguese photographer based in Berlin.
Influenced by the Multiverse theory his works opens us the door to an intense journey through ones mind by over-exposing layers of our surroundings and unraveling an unique vision of the world.
Note that no Photoshop is used in any of his pictures.

Directed by Isabela Falcão Vaz
Artist: Francisco Vasconcelos and csxlab.org
Music: Pedro Ferraz and Orlando Rocha
Multiverse paintings: Francisco & Isabela

Biography:

Francisco c.p. Vasconcelos (*1978 in Porto) is an architect and photographer. He studied architecture and phenomenology and currently works at csxlab.org as well as BIM manager at the office NN - Arquitectura e Planeamento in Porto, Portugal. He has won several photography awards and has international exhibitions in his portfolio. He continuously works on research devoted to issues in architecture and phenomenology. Following his photographic project Multiverse, Francisco has lived, worked, researched and experienced cultural forms of “reality” in Greece, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan.



=====================

Matter, architecture and drift.

[Some notes around a photographic series by Francisco Vasconcelos]

"This is the image outside the time and space he wanted now, he was not sure how that would be achieved, but he was determined to succeed"

Italo Calvino, I Racconti

In a tale he called "The Adventure of a Photographer," Calvino describes the fictional account of an artist he dubbed a philosopher-skeptic, a character who is confronted with the popularity, meaning, and purpose of the photographic medium. The obsessive desire to portray everyday life realizes that the object of desire for its lens rests, in the end, on the disappearance of that same object. That is, we never position ourselves in the "real" presence of the photographed object, because between reality and the image there is an ontological impossibility that is determined by the construction of representation and art.

It is here that, I believe, we can verify the series of photographic works of Francisco Vasconcelos that he called decisively Multiverse. In fact, the concept of the meta-universe proposed by physics as a hypothetical set of multiple chained universes characterized by the notion of space, time, matter, and energy, as well as the laws of physics and their variants, delimit an arc program in Vasconcelos' work that seems to redirect the look of a photographic project that presents itself through a double proposition: on the one hand, to question the medium of photography still as a solid and effusive testimony of the fabric of Euclidean reality in its understanding of the form and of apparent space, in an oscillating ideology between presence and absence; On the other hand, and here his work is poignant, using the simple technique of multiple exposure opens the way to a number of possibilities from which he aspires to "create" new forms and visions of the truth and consistency of what the lens can not fail to capture. It is as if Vasconcelos was rescued from the very record of photography - and therefore from the freezing of things that he sees and experiences - the possibility of this becoming a double origin, instituting a set of images that define an assumed position in which the reality that surrounding us can be measured in its completeness. For this, the artist presents a series of works in which he defines multiple points of view, kaleidoscopic visions of the world (we see water, trees, buildings, asphalt) that interconnect in an intermediate sense, something between the real and the fractal, always showing visions the natural and human presence through the construction in architecture where the delimitation and the contour of the objects are reconstructed from their arbitrary existence, points of composition and pressure that Vasconcelos balances with rigor and a work of intense production. Paradoxically, it is with the possibility of double exposure and discontinuity of this initial matrix that this series of photographs intends to reconstitute an original flow that has been used in the world, giving us, as observers, a shattered vision, but because it is chipped, inventive, restoring the act of seeing, or as Walter Benjamin correctly wrote: "achieving purity of look is not difficult, it is impossible."

by HUGO BARATAVISUAL ARTIST / CURATORIAL PROJECTS / CULTURAL MEDIATOR 

Timeline

01-09-2021 / Present. : Raul Sousa Cardoso Arquitectura, Marco de Canavezes

01-12-2019 / 01-08-2021: NN - Arquitectura e Planeamento, Porto

01-01-2014 / 30-11-2019: Architect & Photographer Freelance | csxlab.org, Berlin (Germany)

01-04-2017 / 30-10-2019: AKP - Architekten Kauschke und Partner Berlin

Principal Architect and Archicad / BIM Instructor

2019 - Bärensteinstr., Berlin | Centro Clinico e Residencial para Idosos

2019 - Märkische Allee, Berlin | Centro Comercial e Hotel 2018 Lieberenz Event

Hotel Wolfstein

2018 - Shurgard Self- Storage Flottenstraße, Berlin

2018 - Shurgard Self- Storage Wandsbeck, Hamburg

2017 - Shurgard Self- Storage Nalepastraße, Berlin

01-01-2011 / 30-11-2014: Architect & Photographer Freelance | csxlab.org, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

01-09-2009 / 28-01-2010: Kiyokazu Arai Architects, Tokyo (Japan)

- Wind Kenchiku competition

- Seniour housing competition, Novato California

- Expo 2012 Yeosu, South Korea Pavillion Competition

21-05-2009 / 26-08-2009: Sou Fujimoto Architects, Tokyo (Japan)

- Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK (concept, model making, 3D Model & Viz)

- Making Architecture (Publication directed by Toyo Ito)

- House K, Tokyo, Japan

- House T, Tokyo, Japan

- JWEST Hotel Project, Tainan, Taiwan

- Gondwana Circle Competition, S.F., USA

01-10-2006 / 01-08-2007: Architectural Theory Research, Thessaloniki - Hellas

01-10-2005 / 21-05-2009: Foundation of csxlab.org

Freelance photographer, Porto

01-10-2003 / 01-08-2008: Freelance 3D & CGI, Porto

01-10-2002 / 01-08-2005: V.J. - Monkeyville Collective, Porto

- Resident VJ’s at Bazaar Club, Porto

Solo Exhibitions

 

2017

-"Multiverse" & "Praha Visionscopes" at Noize Fabrik - Berlin, Deutschland

-"Multiverse" at Cooperativa Árvore - Porto, Portugal

2015

- Unterdeck at (A)VOID Gallery Praha, Czeck Republic

Group Exhibitions

 

2023

-"Leixões" em Porto ao Porto - FAA Galeria, Porto

2018

-"Multiverse" - Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin Odyssee 2017/18

2017

-What makes you ___? Club der Republik - Berlin, Deutschland

2016

-PORTO ART FEST - Porto, Portugal

-”Earth Line” - Exposição Colectiva dos Sócios da Copperativa Árvore no Museu Nacional

Soares dos Reis - Porto, Portugal

2015

-”Black Light - MaxDurante” Video- Greenhouse goes Upper Ground, Berlin

2013

-International Meeting on Multimedia and Photography

( Francisco + Elena Raupova), Coimbra

Awards

 

-2016, Porto ART FEST - Photography Award

-2009, Inov.ART - Internship for research in the fields of Architecture & Phenomenology in

Tokyo, Japan

Publications

 

-2021, Detail.de - #30 A Passion for Collecting: Francisco Vasconcelos on his collection of issues of Detail (Interview)

-2016, DJ Mag Itália - Interview with Max Durante (Photographs)

-2009, DAMMnº22 - Sou fujimoto article by Cathelijne Nuijsink (Photographs)

-2009, Bueprint UK Nº287 - Sou fujimoto article by Cathelijne Nuijsink (Photographs)

Works List

Event Photography 2005-2020

2020

 

2020-11-15 | Nato Kids (Escola de Dança)

2019

 

2019-03-01 | MNGRM Live, Rummeslsbucht Berlin (De)

2019-12-21 | Companhia de Dança Renato & Ligia

2018

 

2018-02-09 | Collapsed universe (De)

2018-03-23 | Way to Wonderland (De)

2018-04-12 | Shortcutz (De)

2018-06-15 | Forrest Explosion (De)

2018-07-07 | Stolz und Demut

2018-07-12 | 24th Antaris Project

2018-08-04 | Stolz & Demut

2018-09-01 | Stolz & Demut III

2018-09-08 | Wem gehört die Stadt?

2018-12-01 | 20Jahre OV Silence (de)

2017

 

2017-01-01 | B-Painted at Odyssee 2017 (De)

2017-01-14 | Lisa Sparreboom (De)

2017-02-02 | Captain (De)

2017-03-10 | Progressive Calling

2017-03-24 | What makes you ____ ? (De)

2017-04-14 | Interstellar (De)

2017-05-26 | Fledermausland (De)

2017-06-04 | kdk Berlin 2017 (De)

2017-08-01 | spielwiese (De)

2017-08-12 | Humpty-Dumpy 2017 (de)

2017-09-30 | Rummelsbucht (De)

2017-10-07 | Spirited Away (De)

2017-10-17 | Octoblast (De)

2017-10-21 | D2 Yaam (De)

2017-12-01 | Seven Chakras (De)

2017-12-02 | Apokalipstik (De)

2016

 

2016-01-08 | Popol Vuh (De)

2016-01-20 | Phonograph at Farbfernseher (de)

2016-01-28 | Alexandro Duran

2016-01-29 | Jana Photoshoot

2016-01-29 | The Pack - Max Durante (De)

2016-01-29 | Wo_Land at ACUD (De)

2016-02-05 | IONO 10Y (De)

2016-02-10 | Movie Meets Media (de)

2016-02-13 | Day Experience 13 (De)

2016-02-25 | GH Jazz Jam Session (De)

2016-03-04 | Panta Rhei nº2

2016-03-12 | Signs II

2016-03-14 | Bonobo Jam (De)

2016-03-16 | Nina AKANina

2016-03-20 | Progressive Calling

2016-03-26 | Contact by Sunday RP

2016-03-27 | Sunday Dance (De)

2016-04-02 | Orbital Exp Bday Psy Bash (De)

2016-04-09 | Life Celebration Festival Teaser Berlin

2016-04-16 | Frühlingszaubertraum (De)

2016-04-24 | Glück Im Ohr (De)

2016-04-29 | Hexentanz (De)

2016-05-06 | IOVAN Geburtstag in Juice HH (De)

2016-05-07 | Mamas Orbital PsyBash

2016-05-14 | KdK 2016 - essentiaXperience (Hippieschaukel) (De)

2016-06-02 | Psychedelic circus Ope Air 2016 (De)

2016-06-23 | Proggy at Magdalena (De)

2016-07-15 | Antaris Projekt (De)

2016-07-29 | Max at Krake (De)

2016-08-00  | Freqs of Nature 2016 (De)

2016-08-02 | Down The Rabbit Hole with Butch & Skream (De)

2016-08-13 | Levitation Elements (De)

2016-08-20 | New Healing Festival (De)

2016-08-21 | Humpty Dumpty OA (de)

2016-09-23 | Fick Shui at GreenHouse (De)

2016-10-01 | Intact Expanda (De)

2016-10-22 | The New Vibe at mBia (De)

2016-10-28 | Progressive Calling III

2016-11-03 | Wir Sind Heimat! by Fick Shui (De)

2016-11-11 | Camakavum 2016 (De)

2016-11-12 | FULL MOON Cabaret (De)

2016-12-07 | Radius 2 presentation at OYE (De)

2016-12-21 | 15 Years Souls Of Fire (Pt)

2015

 

2015-01-10 | Day Experience 8 (de)

2015-01-18 | Progressive Calling RAW

2015-01-24 | Sayakadelika (De)

2015-02-14 | Warp 13

2015-02-25 | New Faces at Tresor berlin (De)

2015-03-07 | Camakavum (De)

2015-03-14 | Platteau Rolling Disco (De)

2015-03-20 | Che Alex (De)

2015-03-27 | Progma BDay Bash (De)

2015-04-04 | Birthday PsyBash (De)

2015-04-15 | Nica Iliuchina at Tempelhof (De)

2015-05-02 | Sunday Rotation (De)

2015-05-09 | Mamas Psyco Electro Mutterstag (De)

2015-05-31 | Day Experience 9 (De)

2015-06-27 | Day Experience 10 (De)

2015-07-07 | Techno Workshop R19 (De)

2015-07-10 | Orange Sun Open Air (De)

2015-07-25 | Bonobo Flash Jam (De)

2015-07-25 | SUMMER DANCE OF ELEMENTS (De)

2015-08-07 | Day Experience 11(De)

2015-09-03 | Music Meets Media (De)

2015-09-26 | Atra Scientia @Yaam  (De)

2015-09-29 | Nica Iliuchina @Home (De)

2015-10-05 | Max Durante

2015-10-10 | Illuminania (De)

2015-10-17 | Camakavum (De)

2015-10-20 | Psy - London (En)

2015-10-30 | Progressive Calling 2 Years Celbration

2015-12-09 | Orbital Keller Christmas (De)

2015-12-12 | GreenHhouse Band (de)

2015-12-27 | GreenHouse Open Door Days (De)

2015-12-31 | Odyssey 2015-16 (De)

2014

 

2014-01-14 | Stop Studio Sessions Souls Of Fire (Pt)

2014-01-19 | Octopussy Armazém do Chá (Pt)

2014-01-24 | Vigo Crew Jam Sessions Souls Of Fire (Es)

2014-02-01 | Su B-day (Pt)

2014-03-02 | Glunderdome (NL)

2014-02-16 | Vigo no Porto Souls Of Fire

2014-03-15 | ZKU Experimental (De)

2014-03-16 | Egorythmia Area61

2014-04-06 | Orbital Experiences Berlin (De)

2014-04-19 | Yaam - Juggle Ina East (De)

2014-05-05 | 5th Of May  Psy-Wageningen (NL)

2014-08-02 | Talamasca at Psychedelic Theatre (De)

2014-10-11 | Planet Illuminania (De)

2014-12-07 | Bonobo Burlesque (De)

2014-12-20 | Klopfgeister R19 (De)

2014-12-21 | Stratos XBerg (De)

2014-12-30 | Youth Culture SoundSystem at Griffons (Pt)

2013

 

2013-02-03 | Ganja Tree Köln (De)

2013-02-24 | Save our souls (De)

2013-03-10 | Fela Kuti Tribute (Pt)

2013-03-31 | Köln (De)

2013-03-22 | Jungle at Muziek Maastricht (NL)

2013-04-01 | Luna Club Wuppertal (De)

2013-04-13 | Tribes Gathering Belgium (Be)

2013-04-20 | LBB Floorwarts (NL)

2013-04-29 | Lexi in the sky with diamonds (NL)

2013-05-05 | Liberation Day Wageningen (NL)

2013-05-19 | SunSplash Koln (De)

2013-06-15 | Köln Luna Club (De)

2013-06-23 | Live & Let Psy 2013 (NL)

2013-08-04 | Free Party Valongo (Pt)

2013-08-17 | Octopussy Crew (Pt)

2013-08-22 | Cabeça de GPS (Pt)

2013-09-27 | Sandrine B-Day (Pt)

2013-10-06 | Maus Habitos (Pt)

2013-10-08 | Papangu (Pt)

2013-10-19 | Volle Maan (NL)

2013-10-26 | Shangri La Amsterdam (NL)

2013-11-24 | Mahareta Label at Pand14 Amsterdam (NL)

2013-12-13 | Digital Meltdown NL

2013-12-28 | Psy Hard Club (Pt)

2012

 

2012-07-26 | BOOM Festival (Pt)

2011

 

2011-01-20 | Hypnotic Dreams III - samaveda (Pt)

2011-01-28 | Romano B (Pt)

2011-01-30 | Centeno

2011-02-05 | Plano b (Pt)

2011-02-14 | Universoul Industria Porto (Pt)

2011-03-05 | Marc Hype

2011-03-08 | Baile Tranquilo

2011-03-26 | Pow Pow

2011-04-01 | Plano B

2011-04-02 | Clubbing Casa da Musica (Pt)

2011-04-09 | Zona 6 (Pt)

2011-04-16 | Grandmaster Flash

2011-04-19 | LP RATUS + ROMANO

2011-04-24 | Negralha vs BNegão

2011-04-30 | Joao Brasil

2011-05-07 | Queima das Fitas Coimbra

2014-05-25 | Marcelo D2 TSB

2011-08-13 | Romano Contagiarte (Pt)

2011-08-31 | Romano Altar (Pt)

2010

 

2010-03-14 | Aniversário 1ª Linha

2010-03-28 | Souls Of Fire Clérigos

2010-05-02 | Souls Of Fire Queima das Fitas, Porto

2010-05-02 | Alta Baixa

2010-05-29 | BB King (Pt)

2010-06-10 | Fitei MTS (Pt)

2010-10-04 | Mala at Gare (Pt)

2010-10-05 | Plano B McFerrin

2010-10-16 | Reggae Nation III

2010-10-31 | Alta Baixa 2

2010-11-13 | DUB INC

2010-11-20 | Skatalites

2010-11-20 | Porto Japan week (Pt)

2010-11-23 | Ritchie Campbell

2010-11-27 | Beat Torrent

2010-12-24 | Industria Baile Tranquilo

2009

 

2009-07-04 | Zen Mechanics by Solstice japan (Jp)

2008

 

2008-03-01 | Ibla RatusFarai (Pt)

2008-03-08 | Psy Porto Rio (Pt)

2008-03-09 | Espinho Souls Of Fire

2008-05-13 | Nuno Forte na Gare  (Pt)

2008-05-16 | Souls of Fire (Pt)

2008-05-16 | Senhor de Matosinhos Souls Of Fire)

2008-05-17 | Pow Pow

2008-06-14 | Neverland Beach Party (Gr)

2008-08-03 | Herbie Hancook (Pt)

2008-08-16 | Viana do Castelo Souls Of Fire

2008-08-16 | Drum and Bass alfandega (Pt)

2007

 

2007-01-07 | Snowboy

2007-01-12 | Nuno Forte + Dinis

2007-01-19 | Rui Vargas

2007-01-20 | Headman

2007-01-27 | Back2Future Plano B (Pt)

2007-03-30 | Nuno Forte + HiFidel Cartel

2007-05-17 | Senhor de Matosinhos Souls Of Fire

2007-05-20 | Quinta de Santiago LP (Pt)

2007-08-19 | Souls of Fire

2007-09-16 | pitch

2007-10-20 | Direct Connection. (Gr)

2007-12-02 | Infinite Livez Casa da musica (Pt)

2006

 

2006-09-23 | Greg Wilson (Pt)

2006-10-05 | D-Nox Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-10-06 | Back2Future

2006-10-07 | Bazaar (Pt)

2006-10-08 | Industria Club

2006-10-08 | Asian Dub Foundation (Pt)

2006-10-13 | Jacksen + Kaspar

2006-10-14 | iDuna (Pt)

2006-10-14 | Idjut Boys

2006-10-20 | Nuno Forte + Dinis

2006-10-22 | Wunmi Industria (Pt)

2006-10-27 | Jacksen + Miguel Amaro

2006-10-28 | James Trouble

2006-10-28 | PSP Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-10-28 | Estado Novo Souls Of Fire)

2006-11-01 | Sister Nancy (KINGSTON JAMAICA) 31_10_2006 (Pt)

2006-11-03 | Nuno Forte Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-11-03 | Nuno Mendes Bazaar (Pt)

2006-11-04 | Groove Armada (Pt)

2006-11-10 | Rui Murca

2006-11-11 | Tim Sweeney

2006-11-24 | Eric Duncan

2006-11-25 | Maurice Fulton

2006-11-25 | Psy-Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-11-30 | Dancing Days

2006-12-01 | Video Clip Souls Of Fire

2006-12-01 | Mario Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-12-01 | Back2Future

2006-12-02 | Cari+Marcos

2006-12-02 | Ed Rush (Pt)

2006-12-07 | PSP Porto Rio (Pt)

2006-12-09 | Horace Andy (Pt)

2006-12-09 | ICUBE

2006-12-14 | Inverse Cinematics

2006-12-15 | Centeno_Bar-Tenreiro_club

2006-12-16 | mr.cheeks

2006-12-17 | Youth Culture no Marés do Aterro (Pt)

2006-12-31 | Pitch New Year

==========================================================

Original Portuguese:


Matéria, arquitectura e deriva.

[Algumas notas em torno de uma série fotográfica de Francisco Vasconcelos]

«Este é o retrato fora do tempo e do espaço que ele agora desejava; ele não estava certo como seria alcançado, mas estava determinado a ter sucesso»

Italo Calvino, I Racconti

Num conto a que chamou “A Aventura de um Fotógrafo”, Calvino descreve o relato ficcional de um artista que apelidou de filósofo-cético, personagem que se confronta com a popularidade, o significado e o propósito do meio fotográfico e que, através de uma vontade obsessiva de retratar o quotidiano, se apercebe que o objeto de desejo da sua lente assenta, no fundo, no desaparecimento desse mesmo objeto. Isto é, nunca nos posicionamos na presença “real” do objeto fotografado porque entre a realidade e uma sua imagem existe uma impossibilidade ontológica que se determina pela construção da representação e da arte.

É aqui que, penso, podemos consubstanciar a série de obras fotográficas de Francisco Vasconcelos a que chamou determinantemente de Multiverso. De facto, o conceito de meta-universo proposto pela física como um conjunto hipotético de universos múltiplos encadeados e caracterizados por conterem em si mesmos as noções de espaço, tempo, matéria e energia, assim como as leis da física e as suas variantes, delimita um arco programático no trabalho de Vasconcelos que parece redirecionar o olhar a partir de um projeto fotográfico que se apresenta através de uma dupla proposição: por um lado, questionando o meio da fotografia ainda como testemunho sólido e delineador do tecido da realidade euclidiana na sua compreensão da forma e do espaço aparente, numa ideologia oscilante entre presença e ausência; por outro lado, e aqui o seu trabalho se revela pungente, ao utilizar a técnica simples da múltipla exposição abre caminho a uma série de possibilidades a partir das quais ambiciona “criar” novas formas e visões da veracidade e da consistência daquilo que a lente não pode deixar de captar. É como se Vasconcelos resgatasse do próprio registo da fotografia - e como tal do congelamento das coisas que vê e experiencia - a possibilidade desta se tornar uma dupla origem, instituindo um conjunto de imagens que definem uma postura assumida na qual a realidade que nos circunda não pode ser aferida na sua completude. Para isso, o artista apresenta uma série de trabalhos nos quais define múltiplos pontos de vista, visões caleidoscópicas do mundo (vemos água, árvores, edifícios, asfalto) que se interligam num sentido intermédio, algo entre o real e o fractal, mostrando sempre visões do natural e da presença humana através da construção em arquitectura onde o delimite e contorno dos objetos são reconstruídos a partir da sua existência arbitrária, de pontos composicionais e de pressão que Vasconcelos equilibra com rigor e com um trabalho de produção aturado. Paradoxalmente é com a possibilidade da dupla exposição e da descontinuação dessa matriz inicial que esta série de fotografias pretende reconstituir um fluxo originário que se ferra no mundo, aportando-nos, a nós observadores, uma visão estilhaçada, mas porque estilhaçada, inventiva, diligente e reconstituinte do ato de Ver, ou como acertadamente escreveu Walter Benjamin: «o chegar à pureza do olhar não é difícil, é impossível». 

por HUGO BARATA

VISUAL ARTIST / CURATORIAL PROJECTS / CULTURAL MEDIATOR 

FORMAÇÃO:
2008-11 MESTRADO EM ARQUITECTURA - ULP

“The Architect as Artisan of Matter.”

Uma abordagem Ética do uso da matéria em Arquitectura sob uma perspectiva Fenomenológica.

2009 ARCHITECTURE + PHENOMENOLOGY, KYOTO 2009

Call to Papers on Architecture and Phenomenology at Kyoto Seika University 2009 - 1 Week Presentation and Discussion