Fotografía histórica de Gijón: un puente entre pasado y presente

Gijón. Epicenter. Photography. A bridge between two centuries through the camera

Gijón. Epicenter. Photography is the title of the impressive exhibition hosted at the Palacio de Revillagigedo over the coming months. More than just a journey through the evolution of the city, the exhibit is also a tribute to the early photographers and artists who, with their cameras, knew how to capture and preserve its essence. The exhibition brings together a vast collection of images from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. But it also bridges to another time. The present. It is a bridge that reminds us that, in many ways, life remains surprisingly the same.

Gazes separated by a century

During the exhibition, I was surprised to discover how the railing of the Paseo del Muro seemed to tell (yesterday as today, and with certainty, as tomorrow) the same stories that repeat themselves over and over with an almost poetic consistency.

A photograph of the El Piles Bridge by Constantino Suárez (one of the great visual chroniclers this city has produced) reminded me of the photograph I took myself a few months ago, almost in the same spot. It seemed as though both photographs had been taken at the same time. Only the Elogio del Horizonte reveals that separation in time. Both images share something in common: the light, the silence, the atmosphere seems to resonate in the same way, as if time had stopped between click and click. It’s striking. If we could fold space and time like a sheet of paper, we could say that there we both would be, meeting in the same instant, capturing almost the same image.

Time as a witness

The comparison between the two reveals a secret to me: Gijón not only changes, it also endures. Though time moves forward, there are elements of the city that remain unchanged. Photography connects eras and emotions.