We talked with the winners of the #MiraLaRotonda contest

We talked with the winners of the #MiraLaRotonda contest

It's done. They have already earned the awards they have worked hard for. The two winners of the Instagram photo contest #MiraLaRotonda, with more than 1,400 posts, have already received the gifts they are entitled to from Núñez y Navarro, who presented them in an informal ceremony at the Hotel 1898. They are —we revealed it to you two weeks ago— Alfonso García Cardó (best daytime photo) and Victòria Rovira (best nighttime photo). We listen to them to find out what lies behind the images with which they have achieved victory, and we also learn what the organizer's assessment of the campaign is.

Alfonso García Cardó, from pastry making to modernism

I wander around the vicinity of La Rotonda to get an indirect view of the building, and I go to a park in front for a while, and, when I cross the street, I come across a café where there is a lady reading the newspaper, and where La Rotondais reflected. I stayed there for a good while, taking a few photos, until the face of the person was not directly visible, and none of the children who were leaving school passed by. So, I was there, almost, 20 minutes.

“I have always gone, many times, to the dog shelter at the top of Tibidabo, and I have passed by La Rotonda, which for me, has a somewhat special meaning.” “I believe that its rehabilitation adds value to the neighborhood. Before, La Rotonda used to give off a somewhat decadent image, and now that it has been refurbished, this and the fact that it hosts significant companies like a major consultancy, Accenture, will give it an important boost.”

“I believe that what initiatives like these do, above all, is to give a building exposure, and to let people truly reacquaint themselves with it and know that the building is alive again.”

“I am very excited about the prize because, in the summer, my Nikon D-60 broke, and now, having the D-3300, which is a superior camera, and which, more or less, has the same weight, makes me very excited.”

Victoria Rovira, a promising photojournalist

First of all, I use a Nikon 5-D Mark II. It's a professional camera. It's worth mentioning that I do this professionally, I'm a photojournalist, I work for the press. And you always have to look for a slightly different point of view, someone who doesn't notice what you're about to capture. I was looking at La Rotonda, observing it, and, first, you start warming up, you take some wide shots, without getting too complicated.

Walking around, I saw a building that was quite emblematic of Barcelona, an apartment, and I noticed some very nice lamps that were on, and I said: 'Oh, look: from here, you can see the reflection of La Rotonda. I tried different things, took an 85 lens, a prime, which always gives better resolution, and, when you work at night or in darker settings, it gives you more leeway to work with, and, I started shooting, until, first, I focused on La Rotonda; then, I defocused the lamps; until I decided to take about six or seven shots, and I chose the one that has won.

“I was familiar with the building, had heard of it, and knew it was undergoing renovation, but I don't have a very direct connection to it. I had lived here, in Barcelona, for three years, but it was through this competition that I was able to get closer to La Rotonda and observe it.”

“The fact that NN promotes actions of this kind is very positive. Besides, it introduces heritage in a different way. It's a good goal that many companies and non-companies should have. To raise awareness. Professional people from the field, non-professional people from the field, and to do it in a participatory way, so that people can come in and participate, and have a connection that goes far beyond a more formal presentation.”

“At the moment, I still don't know with whom I will enjoy the prize, this two-night stay at the H1898. It's quite a substantial and lovely prize because, now, we are here, at the hotel, and I can see that it's very beautiful. But I still don't know, the truth is that I'm thinking about it. I have a whole line of candidates...! Goodness me! I don't know: initially, I will spend one of the nights with the person who accompanied me to take the photographs. I think they deserve it. If you're there when you work, you're also there to enjoy the success. Thank you very much.”

Daniel Zafra, Marketing Director of NN

“The main goal was to carry out a participatory action, and we thought that organizing the contest through a channel like Instagram would allow many people to contribute their vision of this building, which belongs to the neighborhood, which belongs to everyone, and which everyone has interpreted in their own way.”

“The idea is to gradually propose similar actions to the citizens. As we are making a great effort to rehabilitate historic buildings in Barcelona (La Rotonda, Hotel 1898, The Corner Hotel, the Enric Cera tower, etc.), and part of the purpose is for people to take ownership of it. We believe that through these actions, we can achieve this goal. We will continue in this direction.”

“We are working to build a better Barcelona. And, through this recovery, we believe we are contributing our grain of sand to achieve this goal. And, through actions like this photo contest, we can do both: on one hand, build a better Barcelona, and on the other, have all citizens be part of the project.”