A window covering manufacturer, Somfy, just released an interesting crowd sourced photo project aptly titled, “A View From Here“. For the project, they tasked 27 photographers from around the globe with a rather simple set of instruction: take two photographs of the view from your window, (one in the morning and one in the evening) and tell us what you see and how it makes you feel.
Abu Dhabi, United Emirates
I’m on the 26th floor of a 50 story building – not too high and not too low: just right. I’m low enough that I can still see and hear everything going on in the street, and high enough that there is always a breeze on my balcony, and there’s no mosquitoes.
From here I can look over the whole city. My window faces east and every morning I feel like I’m looking at the best scenery ever and it’s never going to be any better than this. But then the night comes, and the view just pulls you in with a million colors and its New York-like soul. Sometimes I feel like I have a huge virtual reality screen and the scenery is changing just for me.
UROS
Ragaciems, Latvia
“I live in a very small village next to the sea, there are only a few people left here. The streets are empty, it’s very calm and quiet. My view is very lush, it’s as if the plants want to make up for the lost time in winter and autumn.
It’s quite windy and the only sound I can hear is the the trees swaying in the wind. I can smell the freshly cut grass from the lot next to me. My neighbor takes good care of it, as he wants to sell it; the land prices have been rising in the last few years. I feel very calm here, that is why I love it so much.
JANIS
Cochabamba, Bolivia
“When I was a little girl, this view was of trees and grass, but now I see house, after house, after house, and far away the buildings merge into each other.
Far away, on the left I can see Concordia’s Christ, the biggest monument in my country. I can hear cars passing by, the wind, and the little birds making noise on the roof. I smell the city, a mixture of pollution and soil.
At sunset, the colours of the landscape look more beautiful than morning, and the wind picks up. This view make me feel peaceful and I am happy to live here. I appreciate the landscape still, even with all the new houses and buildings.
VERONICA
Singapore
From my window I can see many others, and each window has a story to tell. In the mornings you can see some smoking cigars, some in their bathrooms, and some are cooking. You can actually smell their food – typically curry soup or sometimes fried dried fish. Some neighbors go out to eat breakfast at the food court nearby that they call the hawker center.
You can hear garbage collectors, grass cutting, children playing football, neighbors shouting and arguing, the MRT metro train passing, and airplanes flying. Often we close the curtain on this window or obscure the view with our laundry – we put our wet clothes on a bamboo pole to dry outside.
At nightfall, the house lights opposite come on one by one like watching Christmas lights. Again you can smell curry soup and dried fish cooking, and you can hear children laughing like they’ve not seeing their parents for a long time. There are also big guys drinking and chatting at the hawker center, sometimes they’ll be watching sports and cheering loudly.
ARCHIE
Easter Island
From my window I can see Ahu Tahai, the island’s sunset spot in the distance. This place makes me feel so calm, I can hear the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks and smell the sea breeze.
I feel very lucky to be here, in the middle of the ocean. I love the peace and how calm this island makes me feel. However there’s also a sad feeling: I ask myself why is time passing so quickly.
JUAN
For the full experience, be sure to head over to the project website where you can scroll through all the images on a nice custom layout.
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