The Man and The Constrasts (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

The Middle in Town (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Dr. Dario Valoyes Mena (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Curious Cat in the middle of nothing (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Avocados in the street (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

The Sound of Church (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Fusions of color and architecture (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Bread of every day (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Starting the day (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

Graphic Building (photo: Rou Rodríguez).

The Decontextualization of the City Through Music and Street Sounds

Photo Series

by Rou Rodríguez

Rou Rodríguez captures Bogotá’s dynamic street culture, showcasing its fusion of architecture, nature, sounds, and people. From the bustling avenues to the historic buildings frozen in time, each photo tells a story of the city’s vibrant life. Through their lens, he highlights the contrasts and harmonies of the city’s urban landscape, celebrating its culture and music scene.

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Bogotá is a unique city due to its myriad cultural diversities, particularly found in its streets. It represents a perfect fusion of architecture, nature, sounds, noise, and people. Despite its chaotic nature, the same disorder imparts a magical touch to this city that never sleeps.

It is a city teeming with movements that generate expansive sounds throughout its streets. The sun illuminates every detail of the buildings, and the reflections of light play with the windows, moving like waves and creating a unique harmony with the city. The avenues are crowded with people striving to secure their daily sustenance through shouts, conversations, and street vending, appropriating public spaces to survive day by day.

There are buildings where architecture and history seem to have frozen in time, telling stories passed down by grandparents and peddlers. The noise and music never cease; you can get lost in a giant cosmopolitan atmosphere and explore sounds in new spaces where you can listen to and buy vinyl records. Observing how spaces change and sound differently at specific hours is fascinating.

There’s a lot of street vending, and the traffic is insane due to frequent jams, with public transportation consistently packed every day. It’s a contrast between chaos, art, noise, people in the streets, bizarre things, and nature. As daylight fades, the night displays emotions and euphoria, where a wide range of sounds and genres create a counterculture. People reclaim spaces as a gesture of free expression, releasing everything they feel through dance, glances, and sounds that pause at dawn, enchanting a chaotic city into a harmonized one through culture and music.

Rou Rodríguez captura la dinámica cultura callejera de Bogotá, mostrando su fusión de arquitectura, naturaleza, sonidos, ruido y personas. Desde las bulliciosas avenidas hasta los edificios históricos congelados en el tiempo, cada foto cuenta una historia de la vida en el centro de la ciudad. A través de su lente, destaca los contrastes y armonías del paisaje urbano.

Bogotá es una ciudad única debido a su diversidad cultural, especialmente presente en sus calles. Representa una perfecta fusión de arquitectura, naturaleza, sonidos, ruido y personas. A pesar de su naturaleza caótica, ese mismo desorden le da un toque mágico a esta ciudad que nunca duerme.

Bogotá está llena de movimientos que generan sonidos expansivos a lo largo de sus calles. El sol ilumina cada detalle de los edificios, y los reflejos de luz juegan con las ventanas, moviéndose como olas y creando una armonía única con la ciudad. Las avenidas están llenas de gente que lucha por asegurar su sustento diario a través de gritos, conversaciones y ventas callejeras, apropiándose de los espacios públicos para sobrevivir día a día.

Hay edificios donde la arquitectura y la historia parecen haberse congelado en el tiempo, contando historias transmitidas por abuelos y vendedores ambulantes. El ruido y la música nunca cesan; puedes perderte en una atmósfera cosmopolita gigante y explorar sonidos en nuevos espacios donde puedes escuchar y comprar discos de vinilo.

Es fascinante observar cómo los espacios cambian y suenan de manera diferente a ciertas horas. Hay mucha venta callejera, y el tráfico es una locura debido a los frecuentes atascos, con el transporte público constantemente abarrotado cada día. Es un contraste entre caos, arte, ruido, gente en las calles, cosas extrañas y naturaleza. A medida que la luz del día se desvanece, la noche muestra emociones y euforia, donde una amplia gama de sonidos y géneros crea una contracultura. La gente reclama espacios como un gesto de libre expresión, liberando todo lo que sienten a través de la danza, las miradas y los sonidos que se detienen al amanecer, una ciudad caótica armonizada a través de la cultura y la música.

More Works by Rou Rodríguez

Directors: Rou Rodríguez, Maria Paula Murcia
Producer: Rou Rodríguez
Cinematography: Nano Carulla
Editors: Nano Carulla, GOZ
Animations: Jim Palacio, Camilo Ruíz
Stylist: Alimaña Clothing
Mix: Ruzto
Master: Santiago Morales
Special thanks: Token Audiovisual

Directors: Rou Rodríguez, Maria Paula Murcia
Cinematography: Maria Paula Murcia, Rou Rodríguez
Camera Assistant: Kadir Molano
Editor: Maria Paula Murcia
Color Grading: Maria Paula Murcia
Analog Photos: David Pérez «Lowkid», Maria Paula Murcia
Lyrics and Interpretation: Ríal Gawankó, N. Hardem
Music: Ríal Gawankó
Mix & Master: Rob Ramos, Ríal at Magna Records
Graphic Design: Nélson Martínez «N. Hardem»
Special Thanks: La Séptima Letra

Director: Rou Rodríguez
Creatives: Jorge Rocha, Ernesto Lafaurie, Juan Manuel Cortés, Pedro Pizarro, Overcast
Cinematography: Leandro Alza Traslaviña
Camera Assistants: Santiago Cormané, Juan Carlos Díaz
Editors: Aicardo Zapata, Martín Sánchez
Music: Lunate
Sound Design: Amaury Hernández 60HZ Studio
Talents: Dani Boom, Saga, Mansur

This photo series is part of the virtual exhibition «Norient City Sounds: Bogotá», curated and edited by Luisa Uribe.

Biography

Rou Rodríguez is a Colombian filmmaker and visual artist that has been involved in projects encompassing audiovisual direction, photography, creation, and content production for social media and on-air channels. This includes advertising campaigns, communication, and editorial content. As an audiovisual producer, his work delves into both analog photography and various video formats. He explores his city through live-action and real characters, capturing its essence and presenting it in a unique and admirable way. Influenced by skateboarding, music, fashion, and art, they draw inspiration for portraits, documentaries, video clips, movie trailers, and fashion films from these sources. Follow him on Instagram, Vimeo, or VSCO.

Published on August 22, 2024

Last updated on August 30, 2024

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Norient City Sounds: Bogotá

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The Sounds of Contradiction

Introduction

by Luisa Fernanda Uribe

Bogotá is a city defined by its contrasts, where the pulse of the streets and the rhythm of the night reveal a complex tapestry of identities and experiences. This edition of the virtual exhibition series Norient City Sounds #BogotaVoices, delves into the unique soundscapes of Colombia’s capital city, capturing the essence of its vibrant yet fragmented spirit.

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Bogotá sounds like traffic jams, birds that only sing at dawn, the constant anxiety of getting by, and the endless construction projects that have made green mesh the quintessential backdrop of the city. It echoes all the lives moving back and forth in a hurry, impatient to be seen without losing their anonymity, and it resonates with the freedoms of unforgettable nights.

This special explores the contrasts and contradictions that shape the city into what it is today, endowing it with sounds unlike any other world. It offers a partial yet deep look into the streets and the night, two constant obsessions in my work as a cultural manager and activist in the city. This is an invitation to listen to those sounds and to understand them in their complexity, to recognize that Bogotá is a city of encounters and struggles amidst contradictions: a fragmented town that finds itself in the diversity of its echoes.

In the streets of Bogotá, music is more than just background noise; it’s a manifesto of multiple identities. From the cumbias escaping from bars to the electronic rhythms that pulse through the night, the city sings its own anthem of resistance and celebration. This special seeks to map out those auditory experiences. Sound becomes a common language in these places, a bridge between those who inhabit it.

#BogotaVoices is a curated collection with contributions from 21 artists and writers in a variety of formats – essays, interviews, podcasts, mixes, tracks, photography series, sound walks, and video essays – that explores their responses to the question of the city’s sounds, always intertwined with personal and collective experiences amidst contradictions.

The authenticity of boom bap, the nocturnal journeys on public transportation telling us the story of nightlife’s resistance, the water hidden and unnoticed, the delivery workers representing most of the city’s class and identity struggles, the leading clubs and venues for gatherings, the downtown and the stories narrated through the voices of its characters – all of this constitutes the contradictions as creative forces.

Also in this special, electronic music and the communities formed around clubs and parties are the primary lens through which the city is viewed. This lens also exists to highlight the celebration and resistance of women and queer identities, the disruption of public spaces, and how this resistance is intertwined with the city’s sounds: experiences and the soundtrack of these hills and their altitude.

The night is a space of answers and the origin of Bogotá’s creative spirit. This special also reflects that energy, offering a glimpse into the diverse voices of the city’s rich cultural mosaic.

Bogotá es una ciudad definida por sus contrastes, el pulso de las calles y el ritmo de la noche revelan un complejo horizonte de identidades y experiencias. Esta edición de la serie de exhibiciones virtuales Norient City Sounds, #BogotaVoices, explora los paisajes sonoros únicos de la capital de Colombia.

Bogotá suena a trancones, a los pájaros que solo cantan en las madrugadas, a la ansiedad constante del rebusque, a las obras infinitas que han hecho de la polisombra verde el tapiz bogotano por excelencia. A todas las vidas que se mueven de un lado a otro con afán e impaciencia por ser vistas sin perder el anonimato y también a las libertades de las noches inolvidables.

Este especial es una exploración de los contrastes y contradicciones que permiten que la ciudad sea lo que es hoy, que la dotan de sonidos como no hay otros en el mundo. Es una mirada parcial pero profunda que explora las calles y la noche, dos obsesiones constantes de mi trabajo como gestora y activista en la ciudad. Esta es una invitación a escuchar esos sonidos y a comprenderlos en su complejidad. A reconocer que Bogotá es tanto una ciudad de encuentros como de luchas en medio de la contradicción: una ciudad fragmentada que se encuentra en la diversidad de sus ecos.

En las calles de Bogotá, la música es más que un fondo sonoro; es un manifiesto de identidades múltiples. Desde las cumbias que se escapan de los bares hasta los ritmos electrónicos que marcan el latido de la noche, la ciudad canta su propio himno de resistencia y celebración. Este especial busca trazar un mapa auditivo de esas experiencias, de los lugares donde el sonido se convierte en un lenguaje común, un puente entre quienes la habitan.

#BogotaVoices es una colección con contribuciones de 21 artistas y escritorxs en una variedad de formatos – ensayos, entrevistas, pódcast, mezclas, pistas, series fotográficas, soundwalks y video ensayos – explorando sus respuestas a la pregunta por los sonidos de la ciudad, siempre atravesadas por experiencias personales y colectivas en medio de las contradicciones.

La autenticidad del boom bap, los recorridos nocturnos en transporte público que nos cuentan la historia de la resistencia marika nocturna, el agua oculta e inadvertida, los repartidores que representan la mayoría de las luchas de clase e identidad, los principales clubes y lugares de encuentro, las fotos del centro y las historias del voguing, el periodismo musical y la autogestión, narradas a través de las voces de sus personajes – todo esto constituye a las contradicciones como fuerzas creativas.

Además, en este especial, la música electrónica y las comunidades que se han consolidado en torno a clubes y fiestas, son el lente principal de la mirada a la ciudad. Y ese lente existe también para destacar la celebración y resistencia de mujeres e identidades queer, la disrupción de los espacios públicos y las formas en las que esa resistencia se entrelaza con los sonidos de la ciudad: experiencias y banda sonora de estos cerros y su altura.

La noche es un espacio de respuestas y origen del espíritu creativo bogotano. Este especial es también un reflejo de esa energía, ofreciendo una mirada a las diversas voces que conforman el rico mosaico cultural de la ciudad.

This is the introduction to the virtual exhibition «Norient City Sounds: Bogotá», curated and edited by Luisa Uribe.

Biography

Luisa Fernanda Uribe studies sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies in Colombia. She has been working on feminist spaces since 2010 with a particular interest in the participation of women in public spaces and nightlife in Colombia and Latin America. She is one of the founders of Pez Alado, a feminist collective that works against harassment and violence in clubs and that also creates tools for safer and more inclusive night spaces in the country. She is also a founder of ECO, a platform increasing the political awareness and participation of different agents of the industry in urgent debates about collectivity, decolonization, and other key topics. Follow her on Instagram.

Published on August 22, 2024

Last updated on August 30, 2024

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Norient City Sounds: Bogotá

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Life-changing Parties

Quotation

by Luisa Fernanda Uribe,

Eduardo Santos

«We have life-changing parties and early mornings that feel eternal as if the entire world is at our disposal.»

This quote is excerpted from the text accompanying the playlist «From Sobeteo to Cabeceo» by Luisa Uribe and Eduardo Santos. The playlist is part of the virtual exhibition «Norient City Sounds: Bogotá», curated and edited by Luisa Uribe.

Curation/Project Lead · Curaduría/Dirección del Proyecto: Luisa Uribe
Graphics/Visual Design · Gráficos/Diseño Visual: Juliana Acero, Juliana Cuervo
Audio Design · Diseño de Audio: Tembe Laboratorio Sonoro
PR: Jaime Aguirre

Biography

Luisa Fernanda Uribe studies sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies in Colombia. She has been working on feminist spaces since 2010 with a particular interest in the participation of women in public spaces and nightlife in Colombia and Latin America. She is one of the founders of Pez Alado, a feminist collective that works against harassment and violence in clubs and that also creates tools for safer and more inclusive night spaces in the country. She is also a founder of ECO, a platform increasing the political awareness and participation of different agents of the industry in urgent debates about collectivity, decolonization, and other key topics. Follow her on Instagram.

Biography

Eduardo Santos is a social media manager and cultural journalist. He has written for media outlets such as Cerosetenta, Noisey Colombia, Revista Arcadia, VICE, and Shock. He is the co-author of the book Nuevo Pop Chileno: el sonido de una generación en llamas and the bassist for the band Yo No La Tengo. Follow him on X or Instagram.

Links

Luisa Uribe, Eduardo Santos: «From Sobeteo to Cabeceo: a Bogotá Playlist » (Norient)

Published on August 22, 2024

Last updated on August 22, 2024

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Norient City Sounds: Bogotá

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