Erica Canepa

Photographer

ericacanepa.com

The Washington Post "“ Anonymous Neighbours

Follow Hire

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

1 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 22, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

I am lucky enough to live on the 25th floor in my building in Buenos Aires. The apartment is small, but my partner and I fell in love with the view the moment we set foot in it three years ago. The sky from up here is stunning, and I spend long hours looking at the clouds.
For some reason, only since the quarantine did I realize how many neighbors I have. From my balcony, I’ve watched neighbors using their terraces to escape their closed flats, spending time in little squares of open air. I’ve slowly noticed their little habits: the families who meet on the rooftop as their children play football together, the girl who chain-smokes cigarettes, the couple that always has dinner on the terrace and chats until late. In my mind, I invent stories about them with the few details I can catch from up here, and I feel like we’re friends, even though they probably don’t know about my existence.
“Like L.B. Jefferies in ‘Rear Window,’ I look at all of them with my long lens. I spy these little and intense worlds with curiosity. Watching them is a way to feel life around me and to contrast the horrible news that is coming from Italy, my motherland. Or, maybe, Hitchcock would just call me a voyeur.

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

2 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on T...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

3 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

4 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Mar. 21, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on T...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

5 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

6 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

7 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

8 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

9 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

10 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

11 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on T...grapher: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg

12 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday, Mar. 26, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

13 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on S...019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

14 of 15 © 2024 Canepa Erica

, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, Mar. 22, 2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

PLAY

STOP

GRID

FULL

LOVE

Close

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sa_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Th_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sa_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Th_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sa_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Th_ographer: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sa_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Thumbnail of , Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Su_2019. Photographer: Erica Canepa

Public Project

The Washington Post "“ Anonymous Neighbours

Copyright Canepa Erica 2024

Date of Work Mar 2020 - Ongoing

Updated Jun 2020

Location Buenos Aires, Argentina

Topics Community, Covid-19, Documentary, Epidemics, Essays, Historical, Isolation, Landscape, Latin America, Pandemics, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture

7,357

Also by Erica Canepa —

We Are Tango

Canepa Erica / Buenos Aires, Argentina

Aug 7, 2016 - Aug 12, 2016

Kleinfontein

Canepa Erica / Kleinfontein, South Africa

Feb 3, 2015 - Feb 7, 2015

Rosario Remembers Victims of New York Attack "“ for the Wall Street Journal

Canepa Erica / Rosario, Argentina

Nov 1, 2017 - Nov 3, 2017

Petit Perón du Peuple "“ for M le Magazine du Monde

Canepa Erica / Buenos Aires, Argentina

Apr 24, 2020

Tierra Santa

Canepa Erica / Buenos Aires, Argentina

Apr 22, 2020

Sign-up for
For more access