Canja de Viola at Tiradentes Square

The guitarist of the picture probably sang at the Canja de Viola of TUC (Universitary Theater of Curitiba) and decided to continue the show at Tiradentes Square. From the bus I could not hear him, so I can not say whether the music was good or not. The Canja de Viola is a permanent show of Brazilian Country Music, it takes place at TUC since 1985.

A little translation: "Canja" in portuguese has different meanings. The main one is "chicken soup with rice", but it may also means "something easy" and in musical terms it means "a sample" or "a short performance".

Picnic on the granite

In the parks of Curitiba, especially on weekends, teenagers gather with friends to chat, dance and eventually for a picnic, as shown in the picture taken at MON.

317th Anniversary of Curitiba

Today, Curitiba is celebrating its 317th anniversary. The celebrations included a huge party throughout the day yesterday at Park Barigui (with a giant cake) and openings by Mayor Beto Richa over the past few days.

The following text can be found at the web site of the prefecture: "On March 29, 1693, the master-settler Matheus Leme Martins, to crown the "calls for peace, quietness of the common people", promoted the first election to the City Hall Council and the installation of the Town, as required by the Portuguese Ordinances. He then founded the town of Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais, after renamed as Curitiba.

It also interesting to recall a story involving the historian Romário Martins. On March 28th, 1906, Alfredo Romário Martins, a respectable alderman and a historian, decided to propose to the City Council the date March 29th, 1693 as the day that the city was founded. In fact the date marks the day the City Council was created and other administrative positions, implementing thus, justice on the spot. It is controversial the choice of this date as the date of the founding of Curitiba, because prior to that date key figures in the history of Curitiba, such as EbanoPereira, Mateus Leme, Baltazar Carrasco dos Reis and Gabriel de Lara are mentioned on documents referencing their activities as the creation of Vilinha in 1648, the transfer of the vilinha to what is now the Praca Tiradentes in 1654, applications for land allotments in 1661 and the lifting of the pillory in 1668 .

But regardless of age, Curitiba is a very special city to live, work and study. Congratulations to Curitiba and congratulations to all who lives here.

Pare, Olhe, Escute

We are so rushed in our day-to-day that we do not always have the opportunity to do what suggests the traffic sign: Stop (Pare), Look (Olhe), Listen (Escute). This attitude would allow us to better appreciate the city and to better relate with people around us.

The picture was taken at the intersection of Padre Germano Meyer with the Marechal Deodoro, at Alto da XV District. In the background we see the water tank of Sanepar at Nossa Senhora da Luz Avenue.

Young men soldiers

It is uncommon to see soldiers on the streets of Curitiba, fortunately perhaps for the little history of Brazil in getting into armed conflict, as other nations traditionally warmongers. These soldiers I photographed from my car at Água Verde District.

Skaters

Yesterday I posted a picture showing the kite fly as the main entertainment for children on the outskirts of Curitiba. Today follows a photo of how the downtown kids have fun. As the car traffic on the streets of Curitiba on Sundays is very little, the streets are highly inviting to the fun.

A boy and his kite

Breaking the series of modern architecture, follows the simplicity of the image of a boy prancing his kite in almost no traffic little street of the Novo Mundo District in Curitiba.

It is very common, especially during the summer and in neighborhoods distant from downtown, to see children prancing their kites, and this is one of their favorite games. Since the streets are their playground, the wires become a risk that children do not seem to care much.

The energy distribution company (Copel) constantly promotes campaigns warning about the risks of flying kites near power lines, because once the kite is tangled, many accidents can occur, since the interruption of power supply, up to a serious accident by shock, either because the child decides to climb the pole to remove the kite or the line of the kite is made of conductive material.

But as childhood without kites, especially for children from humble families, is not childhood, then it's up to adults to ensure the safety of these children.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Rubens Meister

Rubens Meister’s Office spread the Modern Movement in Curitiba, from the project of the Guaira Theater, until the 1960s, when the course in Architecture and Urbanism of the UFPR was opened. Rubens Meister was born in Botucatu, state of Sao Paulo on 21 January 1922, but was raised in Curitiba. Once graduated in Civil Engineering at UFPR. He became a professor in civil engineering at the UFPR right after his graduation (1947), being responsible for introducing the ideals of modern architecture for a generation of engineers. He presided in 1956 the committee responsible for creating the Department of Architecture and Urbanism at UFPR. Many other important Rubens Meister’s projects than those in the photos below are part of the landscape in Curitiba. Rubens Meister died on 29 June 2009.



Teatro Guaira (1948).
In the design of the Teatro Guaira, the access route from the entrance at street level to the auditorium on the second floor is a resource used by the Beaux Arts academies also inherited by Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. Meister developed a self-taught method of acoustics and theater projects based on foreign literature. The small auditorium of 504 seats, the "Guairinha", was inaugurated in 1954 and the large auditorium for 2174 spectators, was inaugurated in 1974.


Reitoria Auditoriums of UFPR University (1956).
The auditorium of the Central Office of UFPR with 700 seats, has a peculiar spatial arrangement: the main access is placed at the bottom of the audience. The large glasses of the hall allow a clear view of the Rua XV de Novembro.


Centro Politécnico da UFPR (1956).
The Centro Politécnico of the UFPR was Meister’s great project. It was inspired by the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The set of buildings adopted similar proposal for implementation of the blocks in the spirit of functionalism. The main administration building with five floors stands out.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Paulo Romeu da Costa

Paulo Romeu da Costa was born in Curitiba on January, 24th, 1924. Romeu was graduated in Civil Engineering at UFPR University in 1948. He supplemented his knowledge in architecture with literature and practice. He has contributed to spread the ideas of the Modern Movement in Curitiba. He also worked as a teacher at UFPR University at the Architecture and Civil Engineering courses. He had a predilection for Le Corbusier, whose architecture he thought best suited to Brazilian conditions of climate and technology. He worked in the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Paraná.


Public Library of Paraná (1951).
Perfectly placed in the urban landscape in Curitiba, the Parana Public Library can be considered the main work of Romeo da Costa. It expresses the transition and the synthesis of the Classic Rationalism with the concepts of the Modern Movement. For the project, Romeo Coast traveled to Rio de Janeiro to improve his knowledge with the assistance of competent librarians. The project adopts solutions in tune with the concepts of the Modern Movement, with emphasis on horizontal lines and a facade dominated by brises. There were created two lateral appendages to accommodate a children's library and an exhibition space. The execution time, eight months, was a record and it was opened on December 19th, 1954.


Banco Comercial do Paraná Building (1953).
After the project of the Banco Comercial do Parana Building, Romeu da Costa "got over" the Art-Deco and "assumed" the principles of the Modern Movement. The mandatory implementation of covered galleries at Rua XV with the intention to increase the area of the sidewalk, suggested the stilts solution proposed for this building of apparent pillars and modulated window frames executed in metal. The use of brises complements the absorption of "Le Corbusier" principles.


Synagogue Francisco Frischmann (1959).
The Jewish community invited Romeo Coast to project the Francisco Frischmann Synagogue. The terrain, despite its small size, is situated at a particular urban situation: between two streets, with a third face to a small square. The building uses the straight lines of the "miesiano” functionalism and there are brises installed on the eastern side facing the square.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Leo Linzmeyer

Gerhard Leo Linzmeyer was born in Curitiba on September 7th, 1928. During his childhood, he studied drawing and painting with Andersen Thorstein, son of the painter Alfred Andersen. After his graduation in engineering at UFPR, Linzmeyer worked in the office of Rubens Meister, established at the construction site of the Teatro Guaira. Linzmeyer studied architecture at the University of Karlsruhe in southern Germany in 1956 and 1957. He worked as the director of the Department of Water and Sewage of Paraná State, as Secretary of State for Roads and Public Works (1975 and 1979) and Coordinator of COMEC (1979). He died in Curitiba in 1999.


Nelson Imthon Bueno House (1958).
Due to the use of the sloping ground proposed by Linzmeyer his project won the owner’s preference among other designers. The urban lot, which width is much greater than its depth, led to a solution that almost stuck in the house to the neighbor lots, giving linearity to the solution.


Osmar Seyler de Camargo (1963).
In this project, Linzmeyer also took advantage of the sloping ground to use the lower floor to the garage and living spaces, taking advantage of the north face of the land and the existing natural forest.


Edgar Barbosa Ribas House (1967).
As a gazebo, the house is located at the higher point of the lot. The contrast between concrete eaves and the large frames of wood is characteristic of the aesthetics of Leo Linzmeyer’s architecture.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Jaime Wassermann

Jaime Wasserman was the most important condominiums developer in the Paraná between 1967 and 1981, and the condominiums was one of the main topics of the Modern Movement. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1924, his family emigrated to Brazil, settling in Curitiba when he was five years old. Jaime graduated in Civil Engineering in 1947. He was classmate of Rubens Meister. He studied architecture at UFPR. In 1966 and 1972 Jaime went to France as an apprentice, thanks to two grants obtained from the Alliance Française, organized by the Ministère des Affaires étrangères.


Edifício Aurora (1964).
Jaime developed this project in partnership with Edson Panek, while he was still studying architecture, the Aurora building took advantage of the geometry of the corner lot.


Independência Condominium(1968).
The Independência Condominium, with 128 apartments, contains blade buildings, with two apartments per floor, and the H shape buildings with four apartments per floor. The construction technique, using pre-cast slabs of concrete, brick order patent, cast iron, aimed at the durability and efficiency of implementation.


Cosmos Condominium (1974).
The Cosmos Condominium, with one hundred apartments divided into four towers was designed inspired by Voisin and Le Cobusier. Colored steel tiles were used as lining of the sills of the facades and these buildings introduced to the city, prefabricated fire escapes of reinforced concrete, with design in low relief.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Elgson Ribeiro Gomes

Elgson Ribeiro Gomes was born in Florianópolis on November 16th, 1922. The family moved to Curitiba, in the effort of his mother to see her son graduate in a profession. During the first year of Civil Engineering at UFPR University in 1940, he start working for Suruga & Colli Contractors. In 1946, having already completed the course in civil engineering, and still not satisfied with his training, Elgson moved to Sao Paulo to devote himself to architecture, enrolling at the School of Architecture at the University Mackenzie. Elgson met Adolf Franz Heep at São Paulo Association of Fine Arts, where he sought to improve his drawing skills, before returning to architecture school, ultimately influencing his career. The collaboration between the two lasted for nearly ten years, from 1950 to 1959.

Souza Naves Building (1953).
The Souza Naves Building was a result of the partnership between Elgson Ribeiro Gomes and Adolf Heep. The project was done to serve the Institute for Pension and retirement benefits of Paraná (IPAS). The exchange of the iron frames to aluminum in 1981, provoked outrage by the architects of Curitiba and the interventions in 1995 decharacterized the volume of the entrance hall.

Itália Building (1962).
The Itália Building with its curved facade, allowed the best use of the rooms facing the street. As a result, the building earn its own personality in the urban landscape. In Itália Building project, the architect used the law to advance 1.2 meters over the alignment of the site.


Provedor André de Barros Building (1969).
The Provedor André de Barros is a building that stands out in the urban landscape of Curitiba. It is part of a set of apartment buildings where the architect has practically exhausted the proposed design of the inner area (30 to 600 square meters). The treatment that Elgson and Heep have done to the casings and sills of the balconies, allows us to draw a parallel between their apartment buildings and housing units in Marseille (1946) and Firminy-Vert (1960) of Le Corbusier.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Ayrton Lolo Cornelsen

Ayrton Cornelsen was born in Curitiba on July 7th, 1922. Ayrton conducted an extensive work as an architect and engineer. In 1943, as an engineering student at UFPR University and employee of the Municipality of Curitiba, he was responsible for show Curitiba to Alfred Agache. He has completed his engineering in Rio de Janeiro, where he maintained contact with the architecture produced by the disciples of Lucio Costa. Lolo has been a permanent critic to the urbanism planning of Curitiba since the large avenues proposed by Agache were not implemented, keeping the center of Curitiba "cluttered", without the appearance of a big city desired by the French architect.

Marcos Axelrud House (1953).

The Marcos Axelrud House contained in a rectangular prism, has a lush porch in curved design with reinforced concrete. The projected terraces were designed to receive brises, which were not implemented.

Romário Pacheco House (1953).

The Romário Pacheco House is among Cornelsen’s most elaborate designs. This house feature exquisite details of elements in wood, which implementation was facilitated due to the joinery that Lolo was the owner.

DER Headquarters (1955).

In the design of the DER headquarters the main block is retreated from the street alignment and the ground floor was sat on stilts. A two storey block with a front auditorium crosses the main block. The architectural elements are complemented by using the terrace for a restaurant and leisure, open space in each floor, tape windows, matching the purist principles of Le Corbusier.

The Modern Architecture in Curitiba - Vilanova Artigas

Artigas was born in Curitiba on June 23rd, 1915, and early lost his father. He received a solid education due to his mother, a teacher of state schools. He joined the engineering course at UFPR University in 1932, but moved to Sao Paulo, where he attended evening classes of artistic design at the School of Fine Arts. The stage with Oswaldo Bratke consolidated his apprenticeship as an engineer-architect of the Polytechnic School of USP, where he obtained his degree in 1937. He spent the year 1947 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, with a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, maintaining contact with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.


João Bettega House, today Artigas Institute (1944).
The João Bettega house contains, in small scale, the vocabulary of the architect, including the promenade architectural and the use of vivid colors. The house was established on high ground and criticized by the population. Artigas sought to interfere as little as possible at the natural terrain. The house was resolved within a rectangular prism, with modulated distribution of pillars, on two floors, with space for by double headroom and connected by ramps so as to allow all environments facing north. Restored in 2004, it was transformed into Artigas Artigas.


Hospital São Lucas (1945)
In his project for São Lucas Hospital in Curitiba, Artigas interprets the purist ideas of Le Corbusier's, as an independent structure, tape windows and blocks connected by ramps. It is location on high ground and corner marks the urban landscape.


Edgard Niclewicz House (1978).

Twenty-five years after the João Bettega House, Artigas designed the house Edgard Niclewicz, one of his last works. In similar language, the project was developed into a rectangular prism, with a blind wall of concrete facing the street.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Frederico Kirchgässner

Frederick Kirchgässner was born in Karlsrube, Germany. He was brought to Brazil with his parents and registered as born on April 12th, 1899 at Ibirama in Santa Catarina. He moved to Curitiba as a child, studying at the Deutcheknabeuschule of Bom Jesus School.
Kirchgässner began to work as designer for the City Hall of Curitiba on June 25th, 1916, staying at the Department of Urbanism until his retirement. In 1929 he travelled to Berlin, where he has got his degree as architect. He died in Curitiba on August 19th, 1988.


Frederico Kirchgässner House (1930).

Kirchgässner designed and built his own house in 1930, a year that marks the first manifestation of modernist architecture in Curitiba. This house is a small masterpiece, the deployment and distribution of the program, the care with which the technique used to built it, the gateways and the use of the roof deck, and the refinement in every detail of the house, from the frames to the furniture.

Bernardo Kirchgässner House (1936).

Kirchgässner designed his brother's house which was his second modernist project with a simpler design. The house has a slope to the back of the lot and presents an interesting composition of volumes. Seeking sunshine on three sides of the house, the architect raised a blind wall on the left e boundary of the lot, which orientation is south.

Portugal Street Building (1958)

The building of the Portugal Street has detailed architecture with Art Deco reminiscences. It was built with no independent structure of reinforced concrete. This four-storey building was deployed occupying all limits of the site.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba

The idea for the posts that I will publish in the coming days on Modern Architecture in Curitiba, came after I have bought and read the book of Prof.. Salvador Gnoato "Arquitetura do Movimento Moderno em Curitiba” (Architecture of the Modern Movement in Curitiba - Travessa dos Editores, 2009), a book that I highly recommend due to the volume and quality of information, allowing readers to better understand Curitiba in which we live and how the hand of these professionals have the ability to affect the landscape and the way we relate to the city.

My proposal here is to present a short introduction to the Modern Movement in architecture and in the following posts, present a short summary of the work and lives of eight Civil Engineers (or Architects without architecture school, as quoted in the book), which helped to consolidate the ideas of the Modernist Movement in Curitiba. Their names are, in the same order that they appear in the book, Frederico Kirchgässner, Vilanova Artigas, Ayrton "Lolo" Cornelsen, Elgson Ribeiro Gomes, Jaime Wasserman, Leo Linzmeyer, Romeo Paulo da Costa and Rubens Meister, all born or raised in Curitiba. Professor Salvador kindly allowed me to use his book as the source for the texts to be published.

Other architects and engineers also left their modernist mark in Curitiba, including buildings that were object of posts on this blog, such as the Civic Center, the Headquarters of the UFPR, the Colégio Estadual do Paraná and many other buildings throughout city.

The Modern architecture is a generic name for a set of architectural schools and movements that have come to characterize the architecture produced during much of the twentieth century (especially the period between the decades of 10 and 50), inserted into the artistic and cultural context of modernism.

The features of the modern architecture can be found in sources as diverse as the Bauhaus in Germany, Le Corbusier in France, Frank Lloyd Wright in the U.S., Russian Constructivists, some linked to school Vuthemas, among many others.

One of the basic principles of modernism was to renew the architecture and reject all the previous architecture movements, mainly the architecture of the nineteenth century expressed by the eclecticism. The break with history was part of the discourse of some modern architects as Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos. The main goal of the modernism is the rejection of historical styles especially for what they believed to be a devotion to beauty. With the title of “Ornament is a Crime” (1908) an essay by Adolf Loos, criticizes what he believed was an architecture concerned with the superfluous and superficial. The modernism saw the ornament as an enemy to be fought.

Vik Muniz

The photos are mine but the text I have taken from the MON website, where the exhibition Vik Muniz took place in Curitiba. For more information, please access the link: http://www.museuoscarniemeyer.org.br/exhibitions/vik.html

From Sao Paulo to New York

Vik Muniz was created in São Paulo, where he began his art studies, and came to the United States thanks to an accident. After break up a street fight, he was hit by a shot in the leg. The author of the shot, trying to compensate his attitude, offered Vik a good sum of money, which funded his trip to Chicago in 1983. Two years later, he went to New York, where he still lives. Success, however, came 14 years ago, when his work was seen in a gallery by a critic of the New York Times. The article has opened doors and earned an invitation to the exhibition New Photography at MoMA and the acquisition of his work on the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Today his works are in private collections and galleries across continents and in museums like the Tate Modern and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Getty Institute in Los Angeles, and MAM in Sao Paulo. Recently, the recognition of his work earned him an invitation from the MoMA in New York for curators to the prestigious Artist's Choice (Choice of Artist), held last December at the headquarters of the museum - the first time for a Brazilian. Vik Muniz is still the only living Brasilian to appear in the book 501 Great Artists of All Times, Penguin Books.

Creative Process

Initially intended as sculptures, Muniz noticed in the early 90s that documenting his art through photography, he got an artistic result better than the sculpture itself. Since then, Vik decided to unite the two languages, to which he added others, such as drawing, painting and collage.

Before capturing as a photographer, what will become the final product of his work, Vik creates a true theater of scenes, portraits, objects and images, some on a gigantic scale, using elements as diverse as shredded paper, junk, sauces and cotton in a construction processes that can take weeks or even months.

That is how some of his works were created, such as the soldier made up of many toy soldiers; the Medusa of pasta and marinara sauce; and pictures of the actress Monica Vitti composed of hundreds of tiny diamonds.

The material used on his art is not accidental, like in the series Children of Sugar, 1996, which recreated with sugar, pictures of children who Vik met at the Caribbean. An aesthetic metaphor about the "childlike sweetness".

Enjoying VIK

The photo shows two of the most important people in my life, examining closely one of the stunning photographs of the artist Vik Muniz, on display at MON. Soon I will make a post detailing a bit more the work of this artist.

The Ukrainian Memorial

The Ukrainian Memorial in Curitiba is a replica of São Miguel church at Serra do Tigre, in the city of Mallet, which dome is tiled in pine and bronze. Located in Park Tingui is a tribute to the centenary of the arrival of Ukrainian settlers.

Braz Hotel

The Braz Hotel is a symbol of hospitality in Curitiba. Opened in 1930 at Tiradentes Square, owned at that time by the Portuguese couple Maria and Francisco Braz. The current building at Boca Maldita was completed in 1941. It was one of the most important Hotel in Curitiba in the 50's, for hosting politicians and was the scene of many political rallies, including one of President Getúlio Vargas in 1950. It was shut in 1978 and reopened by the Group Slaviero in 1991.

Theme day: The Tenin Technique

I'm new in this community, but I already have the perception that to maintain a blog with daily posts about our cities, it is necessary to have great discipline, great imagination, watchful eyes, camera in hand and lots of love for our city. Five years doing this as Eric does for Paris is something that really should be admired and celebrated.

Congratulations Eric! I wish a long and prosper life for the Paris Daily Blog! My humble homage was to try to do a picture of the Cathedral Basilica Menor de Curitiba in a similar approach that Eric has done to the Saint Jean-Baptiste de Belleville.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Banestado

This building was done in 1883 by request of Manoel da Cunha Costa, a Portuguese immigrant, with project by Ernesto Guaita and civil works by Henry Henning. On the façade, stand out the Portuguese tiles. It was once the Bank of Paraná State (Banestado).

The Flatiron Building of Curitiba

Built in 1954 on a triangular plot at the corner of Cândido de Leão street and Marechal Floriano Avenue, the 21-story building (the tallest of Curitiba at the time) which occupies the entire lot, has long been the Hotel Eduardo VII, is now called Afamia Hotel. There are rumors that Blue Tree would be interested in taking over this hotel, extremely well located at few meters from Tiradentes Square and XV de Novembro street.

According to the testimony of the heirs of the hotel entrepreneur, the building was inspired by the Flatiron Building built in 1902 in New York.

Eeva-Liisa Isomaa at the MON in Curitiba

I have taken this picture of a person observing the works of the Finnish artist Eeva-Liisa Isomaa, at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba. Moreover, the museum was crowded with visitors, for the first sunday of every month the admission is free, which is a fantastic initiative and a great success by the amount of people who I saw walking all the rooms of the museum.

About the incredible exhibition of Eeva Isomaa, I found the following news on the website "Paraná Online":

"On March 5th to July 04th 2010, The Oscar Niemeyer Museum brings the exhibition "Journal of Water" by the Finnish artist and printmaker Eeva-Liisa Isomaa, for the first time in Brazil. The set features a retrospective of the artist's trajectory over the past 18 years. From photographic bases the artist prints her images in fine fabrics that are used as support, giving lightness, transparency and sensitivity to the work. The water and the landscape are some of the themes explored by the artist. Due to Eeva's innovation, in 1998 she was awarded at the international biennial of Sapporo, Japan and Prague, the Czech capital."

Curitiba's old railway station

In 1880 at the start of the construction of the railway linking Curitiba to Paranagua, a committee was created to carry out studies for the location of the station and that committee asked the municipality to donate the land to the Company General of Railroads. Only nine years after that the site was acquired. The design of the station, based on the European model, was done by the engineer of Italian origin, Michelangelo Cuniberti. In 1894 the building was expanded with the construction of another floor, assigned to the engineer Rudolf Lange. With the transfer of the company's offices to another location in 1918, the building got modifications that included the creation of a hall. After the inauguration, in 1972 of the new railway station of Curitiba, the old one was turned into a museum designed by curators of the Federal Railway.

The building of two floors, brick masonry, is covered with French tiles, and platibanda balusters. Its symmetrical facade is valued in the center of the composition by the uplift of a pediment, flanked by scrolls, topped by the eardrum and having a clock in the center framed by arched. The brickwork of the facade, the bossage, has, as ornaments, pillars highlighted in point diamond.

http://www.patrimoniocultural.pr.gov.br/arquivos//benstombados/File/BIBLIOGRAFIACPC/ESPIRAIS/ctb1.pdf

Details of the Curitiba Cathedral

One Sunday during the 10h00 worship at the Cathedral of Tiradentes square, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, I took some photos of the interior of the church, which was quite full of believers. The interior of this church is one of the most beautiful in Curitiba.

Children want future not alms

This group of students was on the corner of Brigadeiro Franco street and Visconde de Guarapuava avenue in Curitiba, in the court between the Oswaldo Cruz Square and Shopping Curitiba.

In addition to the noise that a group of teenagers naturally do, it drew my attention to the whole picture the street sign of the FAS (Social Action Foundation) a department of Curitiba prefecture with the phrase "Children want future not alms". I thougnt the sign matcthes very well with the image of the students, because the best way to provide a future for children is to ensure access to good education to all of them.

The intent of this campaign is to highlight the problem of giving alms and invite people who want to help, to do so on behalf of entities who actually designed these resources to help those in need, and these resources are coordinated by FAS.

The following text was found at the website of Curitiba Prefecture: "It is the spirit of human solidarity that leads someone to offer a donation. However, it is important that you think about it: this gesture of love for others may be contributing to the problem to escalate. Who's on the street is closer to organizations involved with trafficking drugs or prostitution. A person who gives alms do not want any of this. But often, by ignoring the calls that are offered, you end up contributing to that charity turns into a real industry, attracting children, youth and adults to the streets, exposing these people to the risks of urban violence. If you really want to help contribute to the Municipal Social Welfare which aims its resources to care for children, adults, seniors and people with special needs in their own programs of Curitiba Prefecture or through numerous entities registered in the City Council. "

Here are the links of the FAS and the program "Children want future." http://www.fas.curitiba.pr.gov.br/

http://www.criancaquerfuturo.curitiba.pr.gov.br/

The Thinker

From inside of my car, stopped at the lights of Osório Square and Alameda Cabral, this man sitting in the Bar Stuart, almost on the sidewalk, caught my attention.

Observe that he is not in the bar (so he didn't want to interact with people who are in there) and nor outside the bar, also isolating himself from the people on the streets. The eyes seem to gaze at the endless and we can only imagine all the thoughts and images that went through his head at that moment.

Filhos da Liberdade

In front of the Palácio de Cristal of the Círculo Militar at Conselheiro Araujo street in Curitiba, I photographed this "Filho da Liberdade" (Son of the Liberty). I searched the internet and th "Filhos da Liberdade" is a brotherhood founded in January 1998, whose goal is "respect among its brothers and motorcycling as a lifestyle," as the text of the site of the brotherhood.