Mark Gong's Cuban Life on Burn and under the Paris Opera house

Check out Mark Gong's essay from Cuba on Burn (here). There are some very strong, wonderful images.

I've been swamped in Paris, literally. I've been here for 5 weeks and am into the heart of the story. So much of the first few weeks is spent figuring things out, where to go, who to talk to, what's the story. These middle weeks are where I get the bulk of the work done. It goes by as a blur, no sleep, too much work, it is the part I hate, and love. It always goes by too fast...

Yesterday was one of the highlights of the assignment. I was photographing Fire Brigade divers training in the lake under the opera house. Yes, the phantom of the opera lake under the opera house. I had shot the divers going into and coming out of the water by the ladder that leads to the lake. When I was done photographing the commander handed me a dive mask and told me that I should go with his men and see the rest of the lake. I demurred, but he told me no one EVER gets to do this.

There are long corridors filled almost to the ceiling with clear cold water all beneath the opera's stage. The corridors are separated by support columns under water. To get into the corridors I'd have to swim 2 meters under water holding my breath then come up into a new air space on the other side of the columns. 

The fire department divers lit the way, I held my breath and swam. It was incredible, underwater with the diver's lights I could see columns disappearing into the watery distance. We'd come up into and airspace, look around then dive into another corridor. It was a day that I just love my job.

-Stephen Alvarez

Paris

Comments

[Lucasridley]

Incredible. Look forward to seeing those images.