Megacities are quickly becoming the norm for many urban dwellers throughout the world. Yet, people still seek intimacy while being one of millions in these urban jungles. Tokyo, a mega-city of 12 million, is home to Golden Gai, a micro-city of some 240 bars, built from the remnants of the bombing of Tokyo and squeezed into a two block area. Rio de Janeiro hosts Lapa, a desolate space during the day that turns into a vibrant center of dance, music, drink and socializing amongst the income gaps of Brazil. Lisbon is home to the Barrio Alto, a sleepy historic district during the day that becomes impassable with people drinking and socializing into the early morning hours.
This project aimed to uncover the intimate spaces overshadowed by dense urban fabric and to document the unique structures and personalities that define these area.s
The streets are virtually empty, save for a single person or small group ducking into a bar. A menu at one bar uses a few words of English, but lists drinks in Japanese only, a half-invitation that dictates the clientele welcomed. An image of one bar cannot escape the stairwell leading the bar above it. If a window exists, it is small and shows the select few who are able to not only enter, but fit inside. The constant among the images is the cramped and crowded spaces. Yet, from within these spaces comes the mosaic of personalities that find their home in the individual spaces of each bar. Unique among the bars is that the intimacy that transcends the surroundings. What is to come from these people meeting in these places, in such constrained, yet intimate, structures? Does the mega-city somehow support the growth of micro-cities or are micro-cities simply a natural outgrowth, a reaction to fulfill some human need, of the mega-city?
