Photographer George Aivalis is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. To see George’s body of work, click on any photograph.

These photographs are part of a project that presents the modern urban environment, as it is shaped in terms of the “charm of dystopia”, strict, in most cases pharaonic and that reproduces relations of power and strength through tons of cement and glass, of gigantic height that annihilate the human presence. An environment that pushes for an intensification of human energy, while having the ability to house hundreds of people under the banners of powerful corporate groups.

An influence from the cinema Metropolis by Fritz Lang, which highlights the charm of the tones of black and white film, as a means of expression and at the same time focuses on the interaction of urban space with human.

The urban environment is presented through long-exposure black and white photographs, in an attempt to render the fourth dimension, that of time.

Barceloneta
Nova Icaria beach, Barcelona

The ballad of the steel over the silver sea
Istanbul

I was born and raised in Athens, Greece, and my first contact with photography was in 1989, when my father gave me a used Nikkormat. 

During my studies in Economics, I decided to go to photography school at the same time. There, I came into contact with the darkroom and the techniques of black and white photography.

I entered the world of digital photography in 2011, which was a huge revelation for me.

However, I decided that I did not want to pursue photography professionally, but to leave it as a space for expression without commitments and obligations.

In recent years, I have been involved in long-exposure photography. I have participated in several photography festivals as well as international exhibitions and competitions with several distinctions and awards, and I am preparing my first solo exhibition.

All images and text © George Aivalis