Latest obsession: Urban Sky Frames
What is an urban sky frame? It's a worm's-eye view centring around the sky, almost seamlessly framed by urban structures (a term invented right here, right now).
Relive the old Vallecas in Bar Eutiquio
Vallecas might feel like the Madrid of long-ago, but for Constantino Carral Sánchez, it’s changed a lot.
Miss Beige: “I dare to be who I am”
Meet Miss Beige, a feminist, anarchist madrileña after all our hearts. She's a common girl living in her own beige world, and she'll spit pipas at anyone who tells her to smile.
Artist brings the Spanish Civil War back to the streets of Madrid
Hell's bitter winds have suddenly reversed and the darkest visions of the Spanish Civil War have drifted back onto the streets of Madrid. And for this, we can thank Chicago-born artist Sebastian Maharg, who has made it possible for us to remember what many of us never even saw.
Madrid’s anti-eviction warriors
I’d heard on the radio that there was going to be an eviction at 11 am, just a five-minute walk from where I lived. I turned on TeleMadrid and their cameras were already there. I put on my coat, grabbed my camera and said to my other half, “look out for me on the TV”.
Faro Vallecano: a beautiful, no-frills diner in Vallecas
The sun pours through the smokey windows of this upstairs diner and is intercepted by half a dozen coconut palms, casting exotic shadows on the terrazzo floor. Everything – and I mean everything – is a shade of brown, as it has been since its last refurb a few decades ago.
Secrets of the streets: Madrid’s anti-homeless architecture
Anti-homeless architecture is often disguised as useful features for pedestrians, but it secretly doubles up as defence against rough sleepers. Big money goes into making the most beautiful parts of Madrid hostile towards the homeless, and examples of these disturbing installations can be found everywhere you look.
Tales of a Lavapiés concierge
As well as cleaning, receiving post, and providing comfort and security to her residents, María has invaluable long-term knowledge of her building. She knows every square inch, who has lived here and who has died here. She knows things you wish you knew, and things you're glad you don't.
Madrid classroom portraits, shot one decade ago
"These children will become doctors, hairdressers, cooks, rickshaw drivers, photographers - any number of destinies await them. There are potential millionaires, celebrities and probably criminals too and actually, some of them may already have died or had children of their own."
Unlocked: five secret spaces inside La Tabacalera
I've been working on revealing these restricted rooms for a little while now – negotiating access to locked spaces and requesting permission to take photos you won't find anywhere else on the internet. And it's all been worth it, because we finally get to see inside the most restricted corners of one of Madrid's most emblematic buildings. But first, there are rules…
The Duck Church of Lavapiés
Unless you live on this quiet, narrow street in Lavapiés, there's almost no reason for you to walk down it – that is, unless you're going to the Duck Church. Nestled into the ground floor of a centenarian building lives a tiny temple devoted to the rubber duck, and its priest is Leo Bassi, a 66-year-old clown who was born on tour.
No-frills bars in peculiar places (Vol. II)
Edward Lawrence continues his offbeat adventures to the most surprisingly located no-frills bars in Madrid. This time, he explores two bus stations, a family-run service station and a shrine to Franco, and climbs a hill – passing a decaying bunker – to find serenity in the most peculiar place.
Casa Postal: Madrid’s very own cabinet of curiosities
Casa Postal is an unfinished, no-frills cabinet of curiosities that will transport you back to your childhood, your mother's childhood, your grandmother's childhood and beyond if you let your imagination take you there.
71 enchanting years of Bodegas Jiménez
When I asked Jose Luis Jiménez who the people in the photographs were, he spent the next half hour telling me stories from his childhood and showing me pictures taken by his friends from all over the world.
Latest obsession: Madrid’s ‘hidden’ drinking fountains
Madrid's drinking fountains are beautiful, carefully designed and soaked in history. But, you've probably walked past dozens thinking very little of them – perhaps you thought they were miniature monuments, a fire hydrant or an electricity box.