Michael Nguyen

Artist | Photographer I Curator I Editor

nguyensminiaturen.visura.co/

Urban Reflections: The Interplay between Urban Architecture and reflective Surfaces

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Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Nationality: German

Biography: “Michael Nguyen is a photographic poet whose lens is trained on the small and ordinary, but through his subjective perspective, he transforms them into something extraordinary, imbuing them with a new soul. His photography is a masterful... MORE

Urban Reflections: Visual Comp...ces. Dortmund, Germany, Europe

1 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Urban Reflections: Visual Composition
The photograph presents a captivating array of reflections within four windows at the rear of the Junge Oper Dortmund. The reflected image distorts the structural reality of the building, presenting an intriguing visual composition that blends the realms of architecture and perception. The multiplicity of angles and the subtle variations in each reflection create a rhythmic pattern, inviting viewers to reconsider the urban environment as a canvas of layered textures and forms. This image is a testament to the transformative power of reflections in altering our visual understanding of everyday spaces.

Dortmund, Germany, Europe

Abstract, shimmering Structure...dings. Munich, Germany, Europe

2 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Abstract, shimmering Structure: Spectacle of Reflections and Plays of Color
An open window pierces through the reflective brick-red glass and metal facade of the Lorenzistock at Alter Hof, coming to life with the light and shadows. In the heart of Munich, the Lorenzistock, a commercial building designed by architect Peter Kulka, presents a visual spectacle of reflections and plays of color. The modern facade, made of metal and glass, is uniformly covered with an irregular oxide red print, which, depending on the time of day and light incidence, either reflects the structures of the neighboring red tiled roofs of old buildings or sets itself apart. This abstract, shimmering structure, which opens or closes, gives the building a dynamic, almost breathing quality. Particularly striking is the single open window that acts like a glimpse into another world, highlighting the stark contrast between old and new, between history and modernity. The Lorenzistock, a symbiosis of old substance and new form, impressively shows how contemporary architecture can shape the urban landscape while engaging in dialogue with its historical surroundings.

Munich, Germany, Europe

Reflections of Ambition: Ephem...ky. Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

3 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Reflections of Ambition: Ephemeral Dance
Clouds mirror against the sleek, modern facade of an office building, encapsulating the fleeting dance between nature and human aspiration. In the heart of the city, where ambition towers high, the clouds find a canvas in the glass of an office building. Each window, a story; every reflection, a dream. Here, the ephemeral beauty of the skies contrasts sharply with the structured lines of human endeavor. One lone window, veiled with blinds half, speaks to the privacy and mystery within. This image captures the juxtaposition of the organic and the man-made, a visual poetry of progress and the perennial sky.

Frankfurt, Germany, Europe

Retro Reflections: Abstract Mo...an stage. Lyon, France, Europe

4 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Retro Reflections: Abstract Mosaic
A modern canvas captures the essence of the ’70s - an architectural reverie in glass. This image, a dance of reflections on a contemporary glass facade, encapsulates the essence of a bygone era. The distorted shapes and softened hues create an abstract mosaic that is both a literal reflection and a figurative homage to the architectural spirit of the 1970s. Each pane offers a fragmented yet cohesive narrative, merging the past and present in a seamless tapestry. The result is a visual echo of history, distorted by the lens of modernity yet still profoundly rooted in its original identity. It’s where history’s imprints meet today’s vision, crafting an interplay between times that can only be orchestrated on the urban stage.

Lyon, France, Europe

Architectural Kaleidoscope: Ca...d. Zurich, Switzerland, Europe

5 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Architectural Kaleidoscope: Canvas of Reflections
The facade of the Toni-Areal with the Museum für Gestaltung, Museum for Design Zürich, the leading Swiss museum for design and visual communication becomes a canvas of reflections, capturing the dynamic interplay of light and urban landscape. Like a kaleidoscope, its surface fractures and redefines the surrounding architecture, lending a fluid, dreamlike quality to the solid constructs of the Toni-Areal. EM2N Architects have not only designed a structure but also an ever-changing visual dialogue between the museum and the city it inhabits, blurring the lines between the tangible and the reflected, the designed and the perceived.

Zurich, Switzerland, Europe

Reflections of Progress: Invis...d. Geneva, Switzerland, Europe

6 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Reflections of Progress: Invisible Networks
A dance of light and glass plays across the surface of a Geneva office building, capturing the reflection of the International Telecommunication Union’s high-rise. Standing 57 meters tall with 15 floors, the ITU building, designed by architect André Bordigoni and initiated in 1970, represents a vertical symbol of communication’s ever-ascending reach. Through the lens of reflection, this image invites contemplation of the intricate interplay between architectural form and the invisible networks that connect our world.

Geneva, Switzerland, Europe

Reflective Resonance: Mirrored...erdam, The Netherlands, Europe

7 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Reflective Resonance: Mirrored Majesty
Nestled in Rotterdam’s Museum Park, the Art Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen stands as a towering testament to innovative design and urban synergy. Conceived by MVRDV, the depot captivates with its mirrored facade stretching over 6609 square meters, curving skyward for 40 meters across six stories. A spectacle of reflective brilliance, it is not just a building but a dynamic canvas, capturing the ever-changing tableau of the city’s life. Opened on 25 May 2022, this structure is more than an architectural feat; it’s a living, breathing entity, where the essence of Rotterdam itself is enshrined in every shimmering reflection.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Europe

Stage for the Interplay: Abstr...Hague, The Netherlands, Europe

8 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Stage for the Interplay: Abstract Mesh of Reflections
A moment of silence at The Hague's central station, where modernity meets routine. A railway platform becomes a stage for the interplay of architectural art and daily traffic. The expansive, winding roof construction casts an abstract net of reflections that dance across the smooth surface of the windscreen of a stationary train. The train bides its time.

The Hague, The Netherlands, Europe

Kaleidoscope of Perspectives: ...amp;uuml;cken, Germany, Europe

9 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Kaleidoscope of Perspectives: Different Facets - A Buildings Story
Captured here is an intriguing urban tableau, where fifteen large glass tiles serve as canvases to the life of a building across the street. Each tile reflects a different facet of the building’s exterior, offering a unique point of view and transforming a static facade into a dynamic array of images. The result is a visual symphony of light, color, and architecture, a composite view that brings a new dimension to the cityscape. This visual interplay encourages passersby to consider the multifaceted narratives that unfold in the everyday, to observe the commonplace through an unorthodox lens.

Saarbrücken, Germany, Europe

Reflective Facets of Modernity...light. Zagreb, Croatia, Europe

10 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Reflective Facets of Modernity: Dynamic Reflections
This visual captures the Hotel International in Zagreb through the reflections on a neighboring glass facade, punctuated by open windows. Each pane offers a disjointed fragment of the hotel’s exterior, creating a mosaic of distorted images that challenge our perception of urban structures. The vivid colors and stark lines add to the composition’s vibrancy, showcasing the unpredictable beauty that arises when the built environment interacts with its reflections. The photograph is not just an image but a narrative of the ever-changing urban landscape, where even static buildings have a motion captured in the reflective dance of glass and light.

Zagreb, Croatia, Europe

Urban Mirage: Nature&rsquo...elf. Mannheim, Germany, Europe

11 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Urban Mirage: Nature’s Brushstrokes on Glass
A fluid dance of light and reflection unfolds across the art glass facade of the Museum Peter & Traudl Engelhornhaus in Mannheim. Crafted by Glasbau Pritz and brought to life through the architectural vision of Motorplan, this paneled marvel distorts reality into dreamlike waves. Each segment captures a fragment of the world, turned into a living abstract canvas, as if the city’s soul was painted by the deft hands of nature herself.

Mannheim, Germany, Europe

Reflections of Progress: Urban...lis. Brussels, Belgium, Europe

12 of 12 © 2024 Michael Nguyen

Reflections of Progress: Urban Echoes
This image portrays a dance of geometry and light across the windows of a building in Brussels’ European Quarter, where the glass becomes a canvas reflecting the pulsing life and structural dynamism of the city. Each window pane, a distinct lens, bends the reality of its surroundings into abstract art, capturing the fluid mosaic of urban growth and the architectural heartbeat of the European metropolis.

Brussels, Belgium, Europe

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Public Story

Urban Reflections: The Interplay between Urban Architecture and reflective Surfaces

Copyright Michael Nguyen 2024

Updated Apr 2024

Location Europe

Topics Abstract, Architecture, Art, Arts, Design, Editorial, Facades, Feature, Geometric, Personal, Personal Projects, Photography, Reflections, Shapes, Travel

The photo series “Urban Reflections” is a photography work that captures the mesmerizing interplay between urban architecture and reflective surfaces. This series dives deep into the urban landscape, highlighting the way glass facades and window panes, capture and distort the cityscape, creating a mesmerizing blend of reality and illusion.The photographs shows how reflections on glass can transform mundane architectural elements into stunning visual puzzles. Buildings become fragmented and reassembled in the reflections, presenting a dual reality that invites viewers to decipher and interpret. Each image serves as a canvas where light, glass, and urban forms converge to tell a unique story. “Urban Reflections” encourages viewers to look beyond the obvious and find beauty and complexity in the reflections that many city dwellers pass by every day without notice. It is a celebration of urban aesthetics, revealing the unseen and overlooked dimensions of city landscapes through the art of photography.

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