the caves of steel photo series captures never-ending skyscraper landscapes in spain

The Caves of Steel photo series by Manuel Alvarez Diestro

Photographer Manuel Alvarez Diestro captures the vertical paradise of the Mediterranean Sea, paralleling the landscapes of Hong Kong and Benidorm. After traveling to the touristic cities of Benidorm, Torrevieja, and Alicante on the Spanish Mediterranean coast in search of vertical structures, the creative confronts the architecture against the mountains, trees, and the sea and generates poetic narratives about the interactions of building’s construction with nature. The photo series captures the unique scenery of the Levante region, one of the most visited destinations by tourists that also presents one of the highest concentrations of skyscrapers in Europe.

Benidorm | all images courtesy of Manuel Alvarez Diestro

surreal and dramatic skyscraper landscapes

Diestro, after photographing Benidorm’s empty facades, continues his photographic journey capturing skyscrapers in full splendor under the sun. Viewed from the mountainscapes next to the sea, the project generates a series of eery images charged with surreal and dramatic connotations that are also evoked in the creative’s previous works in the cities of Hong Kong, Chongqing, Johor Bahru, or Seoul. The skyscrapers are juxtaposed to nature in extreme ways by confronting it or by omission. The Caves of Steel series interchanges panoramic views of the ultra-dense urban landscapes with close-ups of never-ending facades and structures in full isolation. The project is displayed at the Museum Aguas de Alicante. The exhibition’s objective is to connect the Mediterranean cities with the Asian metropolis generating a reflection on the future of cities independently of their geographical location.

Alicante

viewed from the mountains next to the sea, the project generates a series of eery images of skyscrapers

the photo series captures the unique scenery of the Levante region

structures in full isolation interact with the natural element

the project generates poetic narratives about the interactions of building’s construction with nature

never-ending facades in Benidorm

high-rise building stands in isolation emerging from the hillside in Benidorm

Torrevieja’s rocky terrain interacts with the man-made landscape

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Benidorm

Benidorm

Alicante

project info:

name: The Caves of Steel

photography: Manuel Alvarez Diestro | @m.a.diestro

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom