Spain is famous for Mudéjar-style architecture, buildings that reflect Muslim, Jewish, and Christian influences, and that, therefore, in their very appearance speak of their patterned history. At the Alcázar in Seville, the Alhambra in Granada, and the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, I photographed actual patterns, often mosaics, and found myself focusing on a checkering conferred not by religion but by the mere passage of time: weathering and decay encroaching on perfect patterns; brilliant colors accentuated by the beige of chipped clay; carefully aligned tiles grown askew over the centuries. |
