The Shot: Reflections

In April 2008, I spent two weeks in Madrid on business.  While the majority of the trip put our staff through long, stressful hours, we did have a few days in the middle to breathe and explore on our own.  A colleague and I set out into the city, seeking a bit of nature in Retiro Park, sustenance in the form of tapas, and culture in the collections of the Museo Reina Sofia.

Elevator, Museo Reina Sofia

After exploring the works of Picasso and company, we took some time to explore the exterior of the building.  Everything about this building seemed to speak to the contemporary visions of the artists housed inside.  The glass elevator in the courtyard afforded those inside a bird's eye view of the activity below, while adding a modern element to the otherwise classic design of the surrounding buildings.  

Atrium, Museo Reina Sofia

On the opposite side of the building, the atrium took the idea of architecture -as-art to the next level, with the reflective quality of the museum's nameplate and descriptors towering over its visitors.  Entering the space itself, the requisite bookstore sat tucked into the building, its entrance plain, as if it were simply trying to blend into the building so as not to distract the eye from the space itself.  

Sculpture and atrium, Museo Reina Sofia

In addition to the bookstore, the atrium held the entrance to the temporary exhibitions and a free access library.  While most visitors were fixated on the sculpture in the middle of the space, I found myself drawn to the library, located underneath the bookstore, visible through the giant ground-to-roof windows that lined the entire facade of the building.  The light filtering down from the afternoon sun made it somewhat difficult to see into the library, but I was able to make out shelves lining the walls, rows of tables in the center of the room, and a massive pile of books, assumingly waiting to be placed back on those shelves.  

I tried to find a proper angle to capture the pile, but the glass and the light prove to be an unstoppable combination.  At this point, I figured I would embrace the moment to see what I could get.  In the end, I captured a shot that captured the essence of that space: the empty library with its books below, the disembodied legs of the visitors hustling behind me, the shadowy outline of the sculpture fading into the background, and the lines of the tiles blending with the cacophony of  perspective that seemed to be pouring out of the 20th century artists held inside:

"Reflections"; atrium, Museo Reina Sofia