Architects as Traveling Photographers

CENTERBROOK, Conn. -- Architects like to travel and usually pack their cameras when they do, and they often see and capture things that others miss. Centerbrook’s peripatetic staff have collected their printed observations from across the globe, and are displaying them in the Drill Bit Gallery at Centerbrook Architects, 67 Main Street in Centerbrook.

“The World According to Architects” opens Monday March 9 and is free to the public, weekdays from 10 to 4, at the firm’s offices, which are located in a former factory building that produced metal augurs.

Subject matter ranges from graffiti in Thailand and a Hawaiian beach, to a riotously colorful Jamaican fishing village and downtown Essex with a double rainbow arching over the Connecticut River Museum.

More than two dozen prints, one by each photographer, are displayed, augmented by five video screens that allow visitors to view hundreds more images taken by the exhibitors. Photographs of buildings - Jean Nouvel’s stunning Torre Agbar in Barcelona, a chapel in the Alps, and a red barn in Amish Country - are complemented by scenes of nature, people, and striking landscapes, such as a skerry (small rocky island) in Norway. One photo captures the rocks on Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay Beach that appear to be acknowledging the ocean that helped to shape them.

“This exhibit follows on the heels of an architects’ watercolor show.” said Centerbrook Partner Mark Simon. “It is rare that you find such a large group of visually sophisticated people, and we are delighted to showcase their extraordinary talent in yet another medium.”

The exhibit was organized by Matt Montana, head of the Drill Bit Gallery, and curated by Derek Hayn, the firm’s Graphic Designer, and Patrick McCauley, Master Model Maker and Product Designer. Founded in 1975, Centerbrook Architects has a staff of 64 people.