IdeaMe: is an online platform, which helps creators, be they inventors, artists, or designers, among others, to finance their projects through crowd funding. Each week, the Indy features and promotes one project every week, with the aim of helping the creators finance and achieve their dreams. This week: Images of Argentina by Madeleine Pacheco

The mists of Iguazu Falls (Photo: Madeline Pacheco)

Madeline Pacheco is a freelance photographer from Buenos Aires. She studied Audiovisual Design in the University of Buenos Aires, but her real passion is nature and the experiencing the landscapes of Argentina.

Through her project, Images of Argentina, Pacheco has combined her talent for photography and her passion for nature.

Images of Argentina is a project which intends to make an exhibition from Pacheco’s photographs of three very different areas of Argentina: the south of Patagonia (mainly Santa Cruz province), the “Impenetrable” in El Chaco province and the area of the Iguazú Falls in Misiones.

“I think photography is my way of being able to be in these places and capturing them in my camera is kind of absorbing these places myself,” says Pacheco.

The photographs – all taken with and old analogic reflex camera – are focused on portraying the amazing landscapes and the unique characteristics that nature holds in each area. The money from Idea Me will be used mainly for prints in the best quality paper possible and to making each frame.

“I’ve always wanted to show my photos and be able to print them in paper and not just look at them in small photos or through a computer,” says Pacheco. “So the aim of this project is exactly that. I hope I can manage to get the funding and do an exhibition!”

Last year, Pacheco spent three months working with Banco de Bosques. Through her work she was able to travel to Misiones and El Chaco. In the future she plans to continue working with Banco de Bosques and developing a humanitarian edge to her artisitic passion.

To support Pacheco’s Images of Argentina project, click here.

Campo de Piedra Pomez in Catamarca (Photo: Marcelo Gurruchaga)

The latest exhibition by photographer Marcelo Gurruchaga is a love letter to the power of nature and the glory of the Argentine landscape. The exhibition takes place in Palermo’s T-Bone restaurant, where sweeping shots of the Rio de La Plata accompany the daily carousel of pasta, pizza and empanadas.

Looking outside the restaurant window at bustling Av Santa Fé, it’s easy to forget the magnitude and the diversity of the Argentine countryside. The dense warren of streets in the capital is a total anathema to the intense, panoramic visions of Argentina that Gurruchaga presents in his show. Sweeping shots of unmarked countryside made up of intricate paths and weaving waterways are captured in an intense spectrum of colours. These photographs are dedications to an environment both fundamental to and threatened by human existence, serving as reminders of both human origins and footprints.

‘Tierra Madre’ (‘Mother Earth’) takes the themes of origin and light as its focus. The exhibition is the next step for an artist dedicated to portraying the enormity and magnitude of the natural world. Gurruchaga has worked in photography for over 30 years, teaching photography, graphic design and even architecture and design in the University of Buenos Aires, UADE and Belgrano. His key focus within his work is on portraying conservation and heritage issues through his photographs.

Gurruchaga’s previous shows, shot in far away locations like Antarctica, show a similar desire to capture the beauty of unsullied environments. However, these works are a deliberate homage to his birthplace and to human origins in nature.

“I wanted to show our purest origins” says Gurruchaga, “It is this type of landscape which appeals to me most; the insolation, infinite landscapes like the Pampas. These are the places that attract me”.

This reference to insolation, the science of light measurement hints at a deeper interest in light which runs throughout this exhibition. Gurruchaga’s respect for the natural world and our place within it is evident. Also obvious, however, is his fascination for light and the photographic method, evidenced in the glorious colours achieved in his images.

“Achieving the intensity is about a method of exposure to achieve the right measure of light, above all, the theme of photometry” he says.

Gurruchaga’s interest in insolation and photometry – the name given to the science of the measure of light – shows a deep respect for, nature and photography. It is this obsession with and respect for the enormity and complexity of his subject matter that takes his work beyond the realm of a Windows screen saver.

Opening night on Wednesday 4^th July finds Gurruchaga amidst a swarm of eulogising fans. The evening is an intimate affair and the conversation is flowing – due in part to a seemingly endless supply of empanadas and red wine. Beaming guests sit at tables and weave between waiters and dinner parties to admire the array of canvases lining the walls.

While an unconventional setting for a photography exhibition, it is still possible to get a good look at all the pictures without getting too involved in a first date or sitting on someone’s lap. It does take more concentration to connect to art while dodging a dinner service, but the atmosphere is relaxed and accessible. Plus it’s easy to find a coffee after the show – just ask the waitress whose path you’re blocking.

Prize of a 'Micro D' lightweight, warn and fast-drying fleece by Patagonia

Congratulations and many thanks to everyone who participated in the Patagonia photography competition! We had many beautiful entries, but had to narrow it down to the top ten images. These stunning captures of Argentine and Chilean Patagonia have been uploaded to our Facebook page where you can vote for your favourites by liking the photos until the end of May when voting will be tallied.

The winner’s image will appear in our first print edition, due out in June. This competition has been generously sponsored by Patagonia Outdoor Clothing with a prize of a ‘Micro D’ lightweight, warm and fast-drying fleece, that works as either insulation or an outer layer – perfect for the cold months ahead! And, as an extra bonus, it is also environmentally friendly – made from 85% recycled fleece – Patagonia recycle used soda bottles, unusable second-hand quality fabrics and worn out garments into polyester fibres to produce many of their clothes.

The ten finalists will be invited to join our professional team of photographers in showing their photos at our next gallery night, due to take place in San Telmo mid-June.

A small cascade winds through the thick Patagonia woods just outside of El Bolsón, Rio Negro. (Photo: Brain Funk)

We are calling for entries for our new photography competition, with the winner’s image appearing in our first print edition, due out in June. Sponsored by Patagonia Outdoor Clothing, we are asking contestants to send us their best shot of Patagonia by 20th May.

Beatrice Murch, The Indy’s head of photography, will then select the ten best images and the final judgement will go over to you, our readers, to vote via facebook during a two-week period.

The ten finalists will be invited to join our professional team of photographers in showing their photos at our next gallery night, due to take place in San Telmo mid-June.

Photographs may be taken on any type of camera but must have been taken in Argentine or Chilean Patagonia.

Prize of a 'Micro D' lightweight, warn and fast-drying fleece by Patagonia

The prize, courtesy of Patagonia Outdoor Clothing, is a ‘Micro D’ lightweight, warm and fast-drying fleece, that works as either insulation or an outer layer – perfect for the cold months ahead! And, as an extra bonus, it is also environmentally friendly – made from 85% recycled fleece – Patagonia recycle used soda bottles, unusable second-hand quality fabrics and worn out garments into polyester fibres to produce many of their clothes.

Only one entry may be submitted per person and it must be accompanied by your full name and one line caption, giving background on the image – where and when it was taken, and what is being captured.

To enter, please email your photograph to competitions@argentinaindependent.com by 20th May.

Size your image to a maximum of 1024 pixels on the longest side before sending. The winner must be able to provide a high-resolution (300 dpi) version of the image for publication in print by 10th June.

For Peace of Mind:

The image entered and all rights to it must be your own. In submitting your photograph, you agree to The Argentina Independent’s non-exclusive use of your image on our website, newsletter and associated printed press.

You maintain full copyright to your photograph and, where used by The Argentina Independent, the photograph will be credited to you as the photographer, with a link to your online portfolio where applicable.

The Argentina Independent plans on launching a free, independent, monthly publication in June. In order to remain 100% independent, we are hoping to raise the funds to cover the initial costs of design, printing and distribution via crowdfunding platform Ideame.

And to remind you of all the good things we have done over the course of the past six years as a publication, as well as giving you a reason to support us in our bid to go into print and help us keep doing such things, we will be bringing you a taste of some of the good times each week! This week – our six favourite images from The Indy archive, one for each year we have been around.

If you would like to support us in our fundraising campaign, please visit our Ideame page where you can either make a donation (every cent counts), or help us by spreading the word!

The annual Buenos Aires No-Pants Subte ride took place on Line D, ending at the Obelisck. (Photo: Luján Agusti)

Prisoners look on as floats are prepared next to the prison in Gualeguaychú, home of Argentina's largest carnaval (Photo: Kate Stanworth)

A protestor dresses up as a Federal Police Officer Grim Reaper during an escrache – a form of social justice for when the legal justice system has failed. (Photo: Kate Stanworth)

Seal and Penguins having a chat in Antarctica. (Photo: Christian Thiele)

Marta Gomez and Rosa Fernández, survivors of the 1947 Rincón Bomba massacre which saw over 1500 members of the Pilagá indigenous group killed in Formosa (Photo: Kate Stanworth)

Sunlight streams into an unused part of the worker-run IMPA factory (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

The PUMA art festival came to the Centro Cultural Recoleta over the past weekend. Artists, photographers, musicians and DJs came together to present and create their work in front of the public. Photographer Natasha Ali was there and shares her vision of what went down.

Street artists, Stephen and Martin Varbaro Campili, collaborate on a live paint mural. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Street artists, Stephen and Martin Varbaro Campili, collaborate on a live paint mural. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

All girl punk-pop band, Liers, take the stage. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

The crowd at the main stage. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

The work of local graphic designer and illustrator, Alan Berry Rhys. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Lomo photography, by Coni Dietrich and Matías Altbach. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Street art and bike designs. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Crowd member graffitis surroundings during the concert. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Night falls and the crowd stays strong. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

Local electro-instrumental band, Dietrich, puts on a dramatic stage show. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

DJs perform in front of a huge colouring wall. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

North-American artist, Ron English, speaks about his creative process and his past work. (Photo: Natasha Ali)

The beginning of the new year in Argentina brings the start of the Dakar Rally, with the first bike leaving Mar del Plata’s naval base and heading south to Necochea. All the vehicles have to complete the five stages in Argentina and cross the Andes, where another five stages awaits on Chilean soil. The final stage entails crossing the Andes once more, but this time into Peru, where the dunes and the desert will test the drivers’ knowledge, patience and skill. Lima is the ultimate destination; the rally ends there on 15th January.

Competitors from all over the world came to Mar del Plata to compete in the rally and see the race start on New Year’s Day. Some 465 cars, bikes and trucks entered this year’s competition. Champion drivers, such as Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (the champion from 2011) and Russia’s Vladimir Chagin (champion in trucks in 2011), came back once more for another round.

This is the fourth time the prestigious rally has been held in South America. Founded in France, the first Paris-Dakar Rally was held in 1979. Unfortunately due to security reasons, the competition was canceled in 2008. However, the organisers found safer terrain in South America and so a new tradition was born. This course presents a whole set of new challenges for the competitors. They have to contend with various deserts, canyons, and many many mountains, forcing the riders and drivers to use both their brains and brawn to conquer the unknown and finish in one piece.

And not all do: Argentine driver Jorge Martínez Boero was killed in an accident on the first day. French contender Sebastien Coue succumbed to heat exhaustion after prolonged sun exposure, and his compatriot Bruno da Costa was hospitalised after hitting a cow and damaging his kidneys.

Photographer Irena Atanasoska shares her photos along with Adolfo Carrizo from the opening at Mar del Plata.

The Argentine delicacy chorizo is an inseparable part of any Argentine event. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

The sun made the Saturday afternoon unbearable for the elderly. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

People gathered wherever they could to get a good vantage point. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

The multitude of people stayed over five hours to greet all the drivers. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Chilean rider Prohens Felipe pops a wheelie and behind him rides his brother Jaime. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Johnny Aubert from France returns from the presentation of his bike. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his hummer drive through Mar del Plata to try for another win. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

When the cars and bikes weren't on sight the plane above was getting all the attention from the crowd. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Frenchmen Pascal Thomasse and Pascal Larroque present their buggy Optimus. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Argentine motorcyclist Boero Martinez rode the streets of Mar del Plata before his fatal accident. (Photo: Adolfo Carrizo)

Espinasse Sylvain from France stopped to take photos with a group of drunken fans. (Photo: Adolfo Carrizo)

The Dutchman Frans Verhoeven puts on a show for his fans. (Photo: Irena Atanasoska)

Vision orients oneself in space, ignoring certain relevant details that make it possible to distinguish one zone from another. When walking down the street, a necessary coordination between the eyes that observe and the feet that move happens almost naturally. With the camera against the face, the photographer looks through the viewfinder, facing perspective from a single point.

Bruno Dubner, Photography from the series Ajeno

At MAMBA, Bruno Dubner has installed a line of photographs that starts on a wall and continues on the adjacent one, turning around half the room. They are located at eye-level and grouped under the title, Ajeno (Alien), a neutral and distant term that isn’t either uncanny or familiar or defined as private or public. Anyway, it becomes clear that the alien doesn’t belong. That’s why, although we may look at it hard, it will remain unavailable for anyone to act upon it.

Bruno Dubner, Photography from the series Ajeno

The images register textures, planes of color and materials that can be seen as the viewer looks downwards, in the direction required for the attentive walker — the person who wants to know where and what the feet are stepping on. But Dubner’s vision bends away from the footstep, turning towards the line where the floor tiles reach the outer walls of the buildings that raise perpendicularly. That encounter “locked-up in fragments,” as Fabio Kacero points out in the exhibition text, isn’t casual or coincidental and still it doesn’t make any comprehensible sense. Nevertheless, the fragmentary information is enough to understand what the images depict. But Dubner’s distant look doesn’t provide any answer. Rather it keeps repeating the question that reaches the eyes with its endless variations.

Bruno Dubner, Ajeno, installation view

In the photos, forms, colors, grids, and structures change. Details recall different time periods, different histories. Displayed in a horizontal row, the photos exist in the same room at the same historical moment. We can ask how long that lasts, what relation exists among the surfaces depicted. The time of the photos is ephemeral as is the utilitarian look that scans the angles and soon returns to eye-level while the feet move forward on the sidewalk.

Bruno Dubner, Ajeno, installation view

Abstract as a group of isolated details gathered in a new context, and at the same time as concrete as certain moments of walking down a street, the scenes from Ajeno contain nothing theatrical in them. Dubner’s gesture appropriates what doesn’t belong when it photographs those lines on the ground and displaces them to eye-level. In his installation, the photos revolve around one of the angles between two walls of the room, reproducing, vertically, the angles in the pictures, that low, alien line on the side. The logic that gathered these surfaces remains a secret in plain view.

Bruno Dubner, Ajeno, installation view with guests

Original article from JuaneleAR 

An audience watching the screen at Open Show Buenos Aires (Photo by Caitlin Margaret Kelly)

In the ivy-swathed garden of the Oasis Clubhouse in Palermo Soho, a mixed crowd of Argentines and English-speaking expats gathered on a Saturday night last month for a relaxing evening of photography. Images were projected on a screen above the glowing green pool; soft yellow lamps and plush red armchairs were visible through the glass walls above; a bartender was kept busy serving out “signature cocktails”. The normally members-only social club had let in guests for the inauguration of the Open Show project in Buenos Aires. But it could have been London, or Dubai—luxury is a city of its own.

The dreamy, culturally ambiguous setting was a fitting one for Open Show, which has already launched in 18 cities in 12 countries and is set to have its second event in Buenos Aires this week. Thought up by San Francisco-based photographer Tim Wagner in 2008, Open Show aims at the give and take of artistic creation and viewer participation. The premise is so simple one wonders that something similar doesn’t exist already—choose five photographers, let each one present his work for ten minutes, throw the floor open to audience questions. It’s a format that shares blood ties with other “open” movements. After all, if music clips and scientific data can be made accessible to the public, why not the artistic process too?

First up to test out the idea at the November event was Nicolas Otaegui with his series ‘Bronson’s Cave’. Otaegui’s work features extreme close-ups set in a tattoo parlour, nearly all the images black and white. According to Otaegui, the shoot wasn’t planned; the photos were a result of casual day with friends. But the intense looks on the faces of the artists’ friends suggest their immersion in this world is anything but casual. His photos don’t give the viewer space to stand back or evaluate; one simply comes face to face (or face to tattooed arm, as it were) with the culture, whether one is used to seeing a bottle of tattoo ink at such intimate distance or not. In Los Angeles, Bronson’s Cave is known to directors as a go-to location backdrop: hundreds of westerns, B-movie horror flicks, and series like Twin Peaks have turned to its gloomy, craggy landscape for instant atmosphere. In Otaegui’s photos, needles and monochrome photography supply something of the same imagistic immediacy.

Sofia Mazo presents her work 'Umbilical' at Open Show (Photo: Caitlin Margaret Kelly)

Sofia Mazo came next with her collection ‘Umbilical’. Mazo, a Colombian, plays with the idea of links, whether to family or city, and whether organic or transplanted. The black and white photos mostly feature eclectic scenes of Mazo’s adopted home: a Buenos Aires park, an armchair discarded in Microcentro. Though Mazo’s collection lacks the unified theme of the others (she’s a career publicist and “aficionado” of photography) they reflect her clear wonder at her new environment. The strongest few images feature an old photograph, tacked up to an ancient tree, of her mother as a young woman. The wood grain is wonderfully clear—the image an evocation of slow growth and continuity.

‘Fuerza Diablo!’ was the name of the next selection of photos, presented by porteño Eduardo Rivero. The most technically impressive of the bunch, they take up the Carnaval de Oruro, a major carnival in Bolivia second in scope only to Rio’s. The photos were clearly manipulated digitally to bring out the vibrant tones—but Rivero claimed the colours are just as ravishing in real life. Rivero included a number of formal portraits of subjects, whom he said were more comfortable posing in an official setting. But it’s the spontaneous images which most impress, the religious intensity of the Bolivians as they go about preparing lush masks and costumes taking on a frenetic incandescence. It seems a kind of bacchanalia—bright-jacketed musicians clashing cymbals, lines of girls posing in thigh-high white boots. In fact, explained Rivera, it’s just the opposite. Though alright (or expected) to be borracho on Sunday, at the Saturday festival you must dance with religious fervour to expel the devils and properly dedicate yourself to the virgin.

Brazilian photographer Thiago Pimentel followed, presenting his ‘Hazy City’. Pimentel’s stated ambition is for a “new movement” in photography beyond documentation, and for the creation of an imagined city “more perfect than reality”. In his case this means black and white images generously manipulated by computer—very dark, with heavy contrast and a quasi-Gothic aesthetic. The photos of bridges, buildings under clouds, and staircases spilling into patches of light started as photos of seven different cities, but have mutated unrecognizably beyond their real-life counterparts to take on the quality of dreams. Taken seriously, Pimentel’s aesthetic would have one thinking of each city not as an isolated singularity, but as a collection of details that can be infinitely recombined in an always-renewing city of the imagination.

In the final presentation, ‘Buenos Aires con Ojos Extranjeros’, Pablo Gardner presented his pictures of various foreigners in Buenos Aires—from Paraguay to Switzerland—who have settled in the city and now call it home. Each photograph depicting a subject going about life in his or her barrio, from construction workers determined to start a second career to self-described “exiles” of the world, is accompanied by a sentence in the subject’s own words. Perhaps for obvious reasons, the exhibit seemed to garner the most audience enthusiasm. At its heart lay a gimmick, certainly (and it was disappointing to learn that the pictures were posed)—but the classic pairing of image and text was also surprisingly thrilling. One can always start anew.

Eduardo Rivero's work ‘Fuerza Diablo!’ reflected at the Oasis Club's pool at Open Show (Photo: Patricio Murphy)

There was nothing specifically “Buenos Aires” about the first Buenos Aires Open Show. Indeed, it’s somewhat surprising that none of the presentations took on controversial subjects; none of the artists claimed political motivations. Though all of the photos played with the idea of an environment diverse or alien to the viewer, similar photos could have been displayed in any one of the project’s other international locales. Is that lack of social engagement something one should worry about? Perhaps not. For a little under two hours it can be nice to forget where you’re from and what you are, and live only in a world of photographs—a medium beyond the thorny terrain of language. On that congenial, wine-soaked evening, anyway, no one was game for much interrogation. (The audience questions, less lobbed than tossed very lightly, tended toward polite inquiries into artistic motive.)

This may change going forward, however. A recently released list of the five artists chosen for the second event suggests more site-specific works, exploring issues from the ecological effects of fishing in the Península Valdés to the aftermath of a recent volcanic eruption in Patagonia. According to founder Tim Wagner, Open Show launched faster in Buenos Aires than in any other city thus far; its organizers hope there will be many similar events to come, expanding into different media like short film. The tone at future gatherings is difficult to predict. But certainly, it will depend on at least three things—the location chosen, the kind of artists selected, and the decision by those artists of whether or not to leave politics at the door.

Waiting for the bus with FotoRuta (courtesy of FotoRuta)

“It’s like a treasure hunt but with pictures,” my friend explained. And whilst I’d absolutely no idea what to expect, I found myself standing in San Telmo on Saturday afternoon, a piece of paper in my hands, a number and a street name, searching for the meeting place.

If you’re looking for something different to do with your weekend, Foto Ruta is a prime option. From the postcard-style flyer promoting the event, there was one sentence that called my attention: “Foto Ruta BA offers an urban city tour with a twist. Bring Buenos Aires to life through a series of clues that lead you on a journey of discovery in a different part of the city each week.”

Perhaps this was the Indiana Jones adventure I’d always dreamed of, but more of a hipster version, and with a camera?

To begin, organisers Becky and Joss welcomed all of the participants around a table in one of San Telmo’s cosy cafés, and everyone was issued a ‘press pass’. Inside was a small map of San Telmo’s landmarks, quirky facts, interesting places to visit and several restaurant and café recommendations, as well as a list of creative tips on how to photograph.

After explaining the concept of the event – to explore the surrounding neighbourhood whilst interpreting a series of clues through photography – they ran through some creative techniques. Offering advice on how to use shade, lines, reflection, and movement, Becky and Joss described how to lend interesting effects to your photos, all the while projecting examples on to a white screen as visual aids.

At this point I looked around to see that everyone in the group shared my excitement to get outside and start taking pictures. Even with a digital compact like mine, you can make your shots appear professional with all the techniques made to seem fun and simple by the organisers. Or at least I’d like to think so!

Then we started to receive our instructions. We were going to work in groups to photograph an object or a scene that best portrayed each clue and return in two hours, which seemed like long enough. The clues, written inside the small poster with the map, came in the form of 10 sentences. “Mirror, mirror on the wall”, “the gift of time”, “door to another world” and “lawless fashion” were just some of the phrases open to artistic interpretation that day.

Dog's eye view (courtesy of FotoRuta)

I stepped out in a multinational group, made up of Irish, Brazilian, Dutch and British participants, and started photographing.

Foto Ruta invites you to think outside the box. It’s a great way of meeting new people from all over the world, as well as an opportunity to talk to locals as you try to persuade them to help you set a scene for your pictures!

We discovered several spots I’d never seen or heard of before; an open art and bookshop gallery, a prison museum, a store with furniture stuck to its walls and even gate-crashed a film shoot in a groovy record store.

When we’d finished, I felt like two hours wasn’t long enough, but we had to get back to the café where Becky and Joss welcomed us with wine. Reviewing our photos with glasses in hand, we picked the pictures we wanted to represent each clue, and each group’s photos were shared on the big screen for everyone to see.

Whilst the results were similar at times and strikingly different at others, they were overall, incredibly creative. It was amazing to see how each person interpreted the sentences so uniquely.

Between taking photographs, meeting people from all over the world, drinking wine and shared laughter, you can have a wonderful time doing something completely different on a Saturday afternoon.

One of the participants, Katie Jones said: “It was a really good alternative way to explore the city. Living and working in Buenos Aires makes it difficult to find time to explore neighbourhoods that maybe you thought were not as interesting. Foto Ruta encourages you to explore the city safely, without the hassle of searching for maps and doing research before hand.

I wasn’t expecting to learn so much about photography before I went”, she adds.

Another photographer, Andrew O’Driscoll admits he wasn’t expecting too much in the beginning, but after going out to the streets and photographing he said: “I enjoyed a fun day out and I think it’s the kind of activity everybody would have fun doing. It is a great way to discover Buenos Aires.”

Our tip? Go with comfortable shoes- you’ll do a lot of walking!