Mary Padua is a fine art photographer, educator, and landscape architect. A native of San Francisco, Padua recently relocated from Hong Kong and is now based at the University of Florida. Padua’s photographs have been exhibited domestically and internationally, and her work is held in public and private collections. Her work is also published in books and periodicals. She was Brett Weston’s field assistant in the late 1970s and continued her association with him until his death in 1993. Padua is Principal of MGP Studio, a practice dedicated to exploring ideas outside the mainstream realm of landscape architecture and environmental design.

Artist Statement: This image was taken in Hong Kong in early 1996 during a period of major infrastructure building before the British “hand over”to the People’s Republic of China. Several pedestrian bridges crisscross a major trunk road that spans along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island. These bridges provide an ideal vantage point to document and “be inside” the scale of this vertical city. This work was part of the solo exhibition entitled Concrete, Bamboo, Steel, held at the Pao Art Gallery, Hong Kong Art Centre in 1997.