tha roadtrip

“tha roadtrip” is a project born from the necessity to explore the world, not only as a human being but as a photographer, as an architect, as a driver, as a classic car enthusiast. It is inspired not only by the grand tour or by Edward and Jo (Josephine) Hopper and the road trips they took in 1941 and 1952-1953 searching for inspiration, but also by those of the Spanish architect Ramón Vazquez Molezún, who rode his Lambretta through most of Europe in the 50´s aiming to get to know and experience the architectural masterpieces he studied at school.

Both for the Hoppers and Vazquez Molezún, the car (the multiple Buicks) or the motorbike (the Lambretta) weren´t anything else than a tool. A tool to find inspiration. For Hopper, his car was almost as important as his brush. Even if the car is not present as it is in “Jo in Wyoming” or expected anytime soon as it is in “Gas”, the car is a very important element in most of his works, even when he paints hotel scenes or Mexican rooftops, as they drove around for weeks finding spots, as Jo recorded in her diaries.

The Lambretta was to the Spanish architect more important than the camera he took with him. As the different places or buildings can be easily drawn, as he also did, or just admired and kept in the memory if a camera is not available. But they couldn´t be reached that easily had it not been thanks to the Lambretta that himself customised to be able to “live” on it for weeks.

For 70 days between August and October 2023 I drove about 11.000 km through 11 countries in Europe. I shot architecture, roads, places, people, cars and landscapes with my digital and film cameras, but the tool that made possible thousands of pictures to be taken weren´t the cameras but the Fiat Panda from 1990 I drove.

“tha roadtrip” is hopefully the first one on a series of road trips exploring the world from an architectural photographer point of view, where the final spot itself (the buildings, the places, architecture) is not the goal, but the trip itself, the way you get to them, is on focus as an inspiration element on itself and the views, framed by the car from the cockpit, are as important as the destination.

to be continued…

About the Fiat Panda 1000 Super from 1990

Designed in 1980 by Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the most influential car designers of all times, the Panda is considered by himself as his masterpiece and it became, with no doubt, one of the best cars that the Italian industry ever produced.

The simplicity of both its forms and the mechanics, the lightweight and the quality of the materials back then makes the Panda one of the most trustworthy cars ever, probably even the most trustworthy one can get for such a modest amount of money nowadays.

It is not only good and fuel efficient in roads but even its off-road capabilities are better than some proper 4-wheel-drive, as I have myself previously tested for more than 9.000 km through the desert and the unpaved roads of Morocco. Its small size makes it a proper city rider as well.