About
Urban
1. Of, relating to, or located in a city.
2. Characteristic of the city or city life.
Chicago has a rough, rugged, and antique feel once you embrace it. I have always enjoyed its vibe since my first visit in June 2003. That same year, Chicago gave me the go ahead to start my company Durterebelz. I consider it very urban, full of decay, grit, grime, graffiti, and other little goodies if you know where to look. I’m still no Chicago expert but the city itself is beautiful to the eye that sees it.
Lotus
1. (in Greek mythology) a fruit that induces dreamy forgetfulness in those who eat it
2. any of several water lilies of tropical Africa and Asia, regarded as sacred
Personally, The Lotus represents so many things but I used it as an analogy for the beauty contained within Chicago’s harsh winters, hustles, and everyday fast paced life. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and when taking pictures everything is interesting to me. I am a big studier of Sacred Geometry which includes the ‘Flower of Life’, a concept which originated over 6,000 years ago. The earth itself is an urban lotus full of beauty and decay occurring simultaneously, dependent on one another. It is my goal to express the eye of my of reality which is wrapped and nurtured by universal perception.
The Slogan
“alchemy through the eye”
Alchemy is both a philosophy and a practice which aims to achieve ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist.
It is often said reality is all that YOU perceive it to be. When you apply this idea to photography and life, you realize all you have or lack is based on how you view your reality.
“Through the eye”
Alchemy is about transformation, this often varies from person to person, view to view. What I perceive as beautiful, you may not see and vice versa. Through the camera lens, little moments become memories or great stories, transforming one image into an immortal moment in time. The third eye is the gateway to the soul and through it one reaches his higher self because one is connected to the source of all things. This is the goal of urban lotus to be connected to all things through photography.
