Christobal Palma’s view of the church-like Mine Pavilion
If Cristobal Palma has dual perspectives in his work, it will in no small measure be due to his international education. Born in Santiago, Chile, Palma came to London to study at the AA, where he got as far as the second year of his diploma before deciding to try his hand at architectural photography instead. Spending half his time in London, he established a reputation here, working for the likes of Zaha Hadid and Alison Brooks, but decided to set up full-time back in Santiago after the birth of his son in 2008. There’s a lot of new buildings to be photographed on the continent and Palma’s established good relationships with its architects, notably fellow Chilean and the decidedly un-Latin sounding Pezo von Ellrichshausen. Here he’s created a pavilion in Denver that, simple on the surface, merits further interrogation. ‘I really liked the spatial qualities of the project, as did the charismatic fellow photographer in this picture,’ recalls Palma. ‘The way light filtered through the wooden structure and the almost church-like atmosphere of the place.’ We, however, were more struck by its intriguing plays on sight lines; dual perspectives indeed.