‘This is our backyard’
São Paulo’s concrete ‘beach’ lovers
Planned and built during the Brazilian dictatorship, the Elevado João Goulart, a two-mile viaduct mostly known as the Minhocão, connects the centre of São Paulo with its western area. Due to its proximity to people’s homes, many complained about the rising car noise in a city where motor transport domination was, and is still, booming. But, at more than 50 years old, the destiny of the Minhocão is still uncertain as it is being taken over by pedestrians. It could be demolished; it could also become a park.
With a lack of public spaces in a crowded city, conquering new places for pleasure is mandatory to survive the concrete jungle. Nowadays, the viaduct is opened to pedestrians at night and at weekends. With no cars rushing in the upper part, people can walk, run, cycle, skate, or even sunbathe in bikinis, a bit “closer to the sun” –maybe that is the reason why some call it praia Paulistana – their concrete beach.
I moved to São Paulo during the pandemic, right after the second wave. Leaving the airport at night, I was welcomed by a dark sky covered in clouds mixed with smog, grey buildings standing at the sides of the road and a dramatic flux of motorbikes, cars and big trucks. At first glimpse, one would think this is a grey city. But grey defines more than just one colour. And São Paulo has many shades of grey.
As a newbie cyclist in such a chaotic city, I started asking for recommendations of places I could ride to, and the Minhocão was a word I heard repeatedly. It’s Paulistano’s beach, someone told me smiling, so I decided to give it a try. I cycled there on a sunny summer day. The sun was hot, as the streets were too. When I finally got there, I was caught by the relationship that people had with that huge mass of concrete surrounded by more concrete, shining under the direct sunlight. Almost every space was filled with tall buildings. How would someone call that their beach?. But it started becoming mine too. At that time, I wished I had my camera, but it wasn’t on me, so I planned to come back soon.
Photography has been to me not only a great tool to bring stories to life but also to meet people in places I don’t know at all. Many of the persons I photographed have become friends today. This essay was my first approach to São Paulo, a city of strong contrasts that I still don’t know nor understand, where trees grow higher and violence coexists with love. And in places like these, it is people, and not places, that make us feel at home.
Tatiane and Ketsia posing for a portrait at the concrete beach.
“The first time I came here, I felt a bit awkward. Tatiane invited me to sunbathe and I am used to sunbathing at the beach. I am from Salvador, and Salvador is a city with a coast. When I got here and saw everyone in bikinis sunbathing and others having a drink, to me, that was an opportunity to feel the sun a bit closer. São Paulo is colder than Salvador, and also it’s very cloudy too, with a lot of pollution. I am in love with the sun, and I can stay a bit closer to it here. Because of this feeling, I now see this as my beach.”
“I lived once on the beach and here I was missing it a lot. What people do in this city is not that common, people in bikinis sunbathing. When I started seeing people living that way I asked myself, why should I hold back? This is something that makes me feel comfortable. I used to anxiously wait for a trip to Rio de Janeiro to get that fresh breeze and a fancy sun tan, and then I found this place here, which is closer to my home.”
Leandro Pinho and Vagner Nascimento wait for some friends to celebrate Leandro's 36th birthday at the concrete beach.
“I was not born in the city of São Paulo, I am from the outskirts of the city. So I used to have more contact with nature. And with that, I had more possibilities to meet people outside of the typical São Paulo rush. But here, I needed to create some space like the ones I had before in my city. I perceived that it was possible to meet people in São Paulo building relationships that were not mechanical, automatic, noisy, or heavy. Here is a place where one can give oneself that little space of pleasure while watching the poetry of concrete.”
Cendira Carvalho (São Paulo) and his partner Hugo Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro) sit on beach chairs in the Minhocão viaduct in the center of São Paulo.
“This is our backyard. We come here every week. It is really our leisure area. We come to see the moon, to have breakfast, to take a shower with bottled water when it’s too hot. It’s a matter of knowing how to use what you have. I wish the homeless people sleeping below the viaduct had the same chances to enjoy as we have.”
“The Minhocão viaduct super represents São Paulo. When I first arrived in the city, I dreamed of living near here, precisely because I am a cyclist. Here I come and go several times and I end up meeting many people. Working in a home office you don’t move around the city so I end up coming here at night and on weekends.”
Nathalie Sudbrack poses for a portrait on her bike in the Minhocão viaduct in the center of São Paulo.
A man sunbathes at the Minhocão viaduct in the Center of São Paulo.
“This is our beach because it is the public place we have to meet, to sunbathe, we don’t have a beach nearby and sometimes not even a park. I think we need to make better use of public spaces in San Pablo.”
Simone Evangelista and Sofia Fernandes pose for a portrait with her dogs Manu and Laika, at the Minhocão viaduct in São Paulo.
“São Paulo is immense, from north to south. Spaces like these end up being spaces of great concentration of culture. Here you can find everything, do everything. It’s a cultural pole for the Paulistanos who are used to living in the stone jungle, always working, always running. Occupying this space like this is a conquest in a city lacking public spaces. During the pandemic, it was closed for a long time and we really needed it.”
Giulia Binotti and Laura Parente sunbathe at the Minhocão viaduct in the Center of São Paulo.
“I miss a lot the beach, being closer to nature, breathing fresh air, exercise open air. Since this place is right in the center of the city it ends up being a place with easy access. I live close by, and I love it.”
“It’s nice to come here. You skate, then have a sun bath, then you walk a little bit and drink coconut water.” Thankfully there are some new green parks opening, such as Augusta Park, But we don’t have many options.”
“The Minhocão is a place of expansion for us. We love going there to sunbathe, do some sports, and walk with our dogs. It’s a place to breathe and enjoy. It’s really interesting the relationship that Paulistanos have with the concrete.”
Tiago Miranda and Mário Miranda (with Larah and Margot)
