GRAFFITTI in LONDRINA URBANSCAPES (circa 1986)

These are the firsts graffittis ever made on Londrina Urbanscapes, some of them since the year 1985.

Till this year, the scenario was destroyed everywhere by personall griffes, a kind of "JOE WAS HERE" and simillars "MYSELF WAY" gangman boundaries style...

Signs & Cyphers to be recognized from the half habitual suspects ever but NOT to the everyday livers wich, in my concernemtns, deserves the BEST views we can achieve throughout a superb beautifull garden town, like this one.


Unnafortunnely, I found just this smal bunch of "old" images revealed on photo paper, instead the originals Kodachrome 64ASA negatives, all shooted by this massive image destruction weapon, a militar tanking, undercovering as an almost-vintage-like camera, also know as the mighty & indestructible, OH, YESSINDEED, CANON AE-1.


This whole street pannel, with this colorfull ans charmous Wood Houses, it´s an one-of-a-kind graphics, the ones that I cherish the MOST!

SOME LOCAL HISTORY:

My city, Londrina, once, was known just as Patrimônio 3 Boccas (Three Mouths, circa 1929), wich means a place wich rivers in number of three, meets together.

Also, "boca" is used here a little, to nominate a "Water Flow" or "Fount".

The North of Paraná state in this decade, was a giant, a massive, a darkness mass of heavy and strong forestries, know as Brazilian Sub-Tropical Forest, quite similar to the worldwide known Amazonian Forest (wich foreigners nominate as "Rain Forest") but much more cold, foggy and with a fertile soil named as TERRA ROXA.

"Terra Roxa" is a misunderstanding from the "TERRA ROSSA" speaked originally by the Italians Imigrants.

"Rossa" in italian, means "RED", "VERMELHA, in portuguese.

And, "Roxa" in Portuguese,is...

...Well, it´s a kind of Deep Blueish colour, but the name works fine, at least, among us, Brazilians...

Suddenly, at the end of 1929, a young man named George Craig Smith, transpass the limits of this gigantic forestry land, with his particular caravan, a bunch of 12 mans, mules, hardwares, food, going West, under a recognizing venture from his contractor, the C.T.N.P. (acronymn for Companhia de Terras Norte do Parana).

Wich owners are the Brazil Plantations Co., a Brittish enterprise on South America with the very Prince of Walles as a main stockholder.

Then, one of this caravan man, that one with Optics, Rulers and Compass, Mr. Razgullaeff, says, in one pretty calm and sunny afternoon, between the giant green shades:

"- IT IS HERE."

This group chopped a hole of light inside the forest and built the first "houses" inside the heart of darkness, wich soon, after the private railroad (formerly de E.F.S.P.P, the Sao Paulo-Paraná Railroad) comes across the Tibagi River, will be much more knowed as LONDRINA (means "relative to London");

After the primer Jussara Tree sheds and huts homes, skillfulled carpenters, most of them Portugueses borned, starts to built real wood "houses", with the strong and everywhere Peroba Tree, a kind of "little" Sequoia, so hard and strong, than thousand of them was used to inlay railroad beds as sleepers and also as a main proppelers from military planes, to be used on World War at Europe Scenario efforts, soon.

Pasting precisely 80 years, 40% of this charming family houses, still resists and I decided to homage them all, with his shinny and a kind of fuzzy original colors above.

This graffitti is the main city buses everywhere, with the subtil difference on his lateral view, GREEN for urban and BLUE from the suburbs ones.

Well, "suburbs" here in Brazil, are NOT like U.S. ones...

Here means just "Next Door Small County", also a satelitte settlement, a kind of Dorms Cities.


Once, this buse´s company owner, rocks it´s ticket prices to Heavens.

Than, some VERY angry students (now, just historical) starts riots, even ending with some buses pretty enlighted, by a Heavy Metal Bonfire, made it by steel, motors, engines, upholstery, plastics, diesel and, of course, the fire itself, a rare and fearfull vision, under the gently stars of late night in the Brazilian Summer...

Above, I had falled in love with this so nice urban structure, since I put my feet on the Terra Vermelha settlements, in the year 1983.

Imeediatly, I took some shots on it, the "skin" it is made it with small squared enamelled ceramics, with the soft, almost "baby-colors" as seeing on the left view.

The right ones, it is under shadows of the night with powerfull white beans from sub-tropical moonlight.

Down the water tower, you can see the everyday runners, along the covered pedestrian lanes in our linear "besides water" park, know here as "FUNDOS-DE-VALE" (downhill, with the absent of a better translation here...).

Like the vintage Art Déco water tower of Londrina top-of-the-hill area, this iconic trio of twinned buildings also have the soft colors with the same kind of enamelled ceramics.

Did you notice the Everywhere Runners down on it, again ?

And have also a URBAN FISHERMAN!

Yes, is the hatted red ones, at right down, sitted near the Igapó Lake Shore... ;)

This awesome red bricked construction at left, (named as an "architecture", will be a kind of crime with the language...) is our Metropolitan Church (cathedral).

Wich Descriptive Memorial made it by a Civil Engineer (wich cans back to build Rails, Harbors and Highways, but NOT buildings wich people can see his facades...) says "inspired by the first tents and huts, from our land entrepreneurs".

That´s right, pretty analogy, but...

Thats sheds lasts weeks, not centuries...

By the way, the strong majority of architects here, agree with me:

This bulding seems an agribusiness statement, wich only lack of identication, will be the existence of neon lights on his bell tower at left...

An enlighted NOVARTIS, PURINA, BASF or something like that...

At least, the JULIO FUGANTI building, is the answer to Londrina faith:

A modern city, with modern architecture windows display.

Notice the uses of entire piece of land here, with the two facades separetad by a concave 12 floors white enamelled ceramics shell.

I LOVE this building!

Even when some old people here, tells me about a suicidal man, jumping out from it´s roof, about the Seventies.

This icon are the arcades from our formerly Bus Station, now, working as an Art Museum.

It was designed by the famous brazilian architect Vilanova Artigas.
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Hope you enjoy this series!
I SWARE: I will found the others negatives films of mine, inside a gigantic casings with 50 or 60 original graffittis, the first ones wich can be sought in Londrina Urbanscape, between the beginnings of year 1985 till the half middle of year 1990.
Still having found, watta I´m looking for... ;)



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