So close yet so far

Traveling inspires me. It makes me feel alive. It is like adding a very combustible fuel to a fire that burns inside when the flames have waned with time (otherwise known as “life happens”). So yes, I should travel more often. I hope I do.

I visited Los Angeles for the first time in September ’14. The trip was sort of a gift to myself to celebrate a milestone. I have always wanted to know the city that built – with a lot of blood, sweat, tears, joy and salaciousness – the object of one of my deepest affections: cinema. Moving pictures. Not just simply “the movies” but you know, that (often forgotten nowadays) art of telling a story visually that truly captivates you, that makes you part of it all until you leave the theater so enthralled that you start acting like the protagonist (or antagonist) for a few hours. That type of movie that takes a while to leave you.

I took a series of photographs while I was doing some sightseeing and although my stay in the city wasn’t that much longer, it ignited the flames once again. I did not plan my shots prior to taking the trip nor I had thought on a particular theme. As it happens with me, an intrinsic part of my creative process,  I let my eyes through the camera viewfinder guide me.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams is the spark of an upcoming multi-platform/transmedia project. These photo essays are just a flickering candle.

 

City of Angels or Hell A?

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Griffith Park, Los Angeles

 

” Like a fallen angel, I fell off from the smog sky at dusk. I had a mission and that was to find the light inside.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Griffith Observatory

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Griffith Observatory

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: The Chateau Marmont Hotel

 

” I took shelter with the stars. I heard whispers that were not the voices inside me but the words were familiar. I was no longer afraid, sad.”

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: The Chateau Marmont Hotel

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: The Chateau Marmont Hotel

“It almost feels home. I can taste it. Smell it, like freshly brewed morning coffee wafting from the kitchen.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: The Chateau Marmont Hotel

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: The Chateau Marmont Hotel

 

“What will the day bring me besides blue skies and palm trees?”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Sunset Boulevard

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Sunset Boulevard

“Entertain me, City Of Angels. Suspend my disbelief.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Cinegrill Cabaret and Lounge Hollywood Boulevard

 

“The daily small miracles and the everyday heroes. We may be handed in different scripts but we are all characters in the same movie. Some are the good guys, others not. And that’s how the story goes.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Sidewalk of Fame, Hollywood Boulevard

 

“Heaven and Hell, Peace and Chaos. Contradictory forces. One needs the other to exist. There they are and they will be ever-present at some point. We just have to decide for ourselves which one we allow to linger in our lives.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Beverly Hills

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: La Cienega Boulevard

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Santa Monica Boulevard

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: West Hollywood

 

“Then you come across something that requires you to stop and pause.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Beverly Hills

 

” And then you are overcome with laughter.”

 

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Hollywood Boulevard

Photo: Flavia Caldas // Location: Hollywood Boulevard

 

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot. – Charlie Chaplin

“Some things in life play out like a celluloid dream; as if one’s watching an old movie for the first time in a vintage movie theater. A projected silver beacon of light on a white screen canvas in a silent dark room. The unmistakable anticipation arising from what is about to be seen and experienced, heightened by the syncopated sounds of the cranky old projector, as an old soul’s arrhythmic beat-up heart still bravely beating, not succumbing to its wear and tear.
Then you hear the first notes of a beautiful melody and fade in the heroes and the bandits. You become enthralled. Then something unexpected interrupts the magic and the klieg lights start to flicker. Suddenly the silver screen starts to burn before your astounded eyes.
And then you leave, disappointed for you will never know how the story ends.
…
I walked aimlessly over the Stars on the Boulevard on a sunny day. I turned the corner and my tired eyes found The Vagabond on a wall. Then I remembered my way back home. For the first time in a long while, I smiled.”

—Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Flavia Caldas

 

*I don’t know if they will ever read this but I just have to say a big thank you to the management at the Chateau Marmont Hotel for giving me a room upgrade upon my arrival and the complimentary bottle of champagne! It truly contributed to the flow of inspiration during my stay in Los Angeles! I am not the one to brag or mix my projects with advertisements (disclaimer: I am NOT getting paid by Chateau Marmont to say this) but that place is quite magical. Check them out at least once in your lifetime. Splurge Responsibly. Experience. Live. Enjoy.–FC