Saturday, August 7, 2010

Cultural Collage

Copacabana, August 2010


Brazil. Rainbow nation. On the Copacabana, the wave pattern of white limestone and black basalt derives from Brazil’s Portuguese colonial period, and the beautiful centuries old patterned sidewalks of Lisbon. But the ‘Muscle Beach’ public weightlifting zone (on the left in this pic) is obviously a cultural import from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decades old haunt - Venice Beach in LA.  Rio is a collage not a melting pot. Be they hanging out, playing soccer or volleyball, sitting at outdoor cafes or walking the shopping zone, the locals are usually grouped by similar skin tone. Blacks, browns and whites share the same space, but they mostly don't mix. The people, it seems, coalesce into patterns, like the paving stones they walk on.
Copacabana, August 2010

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