At first, photographer Gustavo Minas didn’t know what to make of Brasília. Originally from a bucolic town in Brazil’s countryside, he was surprised by the carefully plotted capital, which seemed static; the cavernous public spaces and modernist sidewalks were perennially empty. “The only place I could find some chaos and energy was in the central transport station,” he said. Nearly one million people pass through Rodoviária do Plano Piloto’s corridors daily, connecting the wealthy urban center with the less prosperous regions surrounding it. “It’s a place where two worlds mix—people both from the lower-class satellite towns and from the affluent blocks within Plano Piloto,” Minas said. “It’s also the place where many hopeless outsiders who come to the capital roam, trying to get a job or begging, sleeping under its arcades at night, by themselves or with their families.” Minas captures the frenzy of the transportation hub in his essay “Rodoviária,” or “Bus Stop,” with images that reveal a symphony of commuters, buses, shadows, glass, and concrete.
Brasilia's 1,000,000 Person Orchestra
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Read moreCommuters are reflected in a mirror hanging in a shop window at Rodoviária do Plano Piloto, the central bus and metro station of Brazil’s Federal District, December 24, 2015. #
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Read moreCommuters wait for a bus as a storm approaches, June 8, 2016. #
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Read morePeople stand in line before boarding a bus, April 12, 2016. The station gets very busy at rush hour, and commuters often have to wait in long lines. #
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Read moreA child looks through a glass window as commuters pass, February 2, 2016. #
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Read moreA man reads the newspaper at the station, June 1, 2016. #
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Read moreA man seated on the floor of a corridor accepts money from a commuter, March 30, 2016. #
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Read moreA man passes the shadows of commuters in line, June 20, 2016. #
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Read moreCommuters are reflected in bus windows as they wait to board, July 15, 2016. #
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Read moreA man’s photograph is reflected in a bus window as he walks by, July 20, 2016. #
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Read moreA chef bakes pizzas at one of the cafés at Rodoviária do Plano Piloto, October 13, 2016. Rides are long, and many people take two buses to get to work or to go home, so commuters often grab a bite at the station. #
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Read moreBus riders check their phones, November 4, 2016. #
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Read moreWaiting for a bus, September 10, 2016. #
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Read moreA couple kisses in the corridor, March 15, 2016. Couples and friends often use the station as a meeting point before going to work or heading home together since so many of the region’s towns and neighborhoods are far away from each other. #
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Read moreA child rests on an escalator handrail at the station, February 2, 2016. #
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Read moreA woman smokes a cigarette, February 3, 2016. #
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Read moreA woman rides an early morning bus into the city, October 28, 2016. #
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Read morePeople eat at one of the cafés at Rodoviária do Plano Piloto, March 15, 2016. Breakfast is a popular meal at the bustling station. #
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Read moreCommuters and a driver are seen in the front glass of a bus, May 11, 2015. #
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