LACUNA/AE. Identità e Architettura Moderna a Venezia
Eleonora Milner
Self Published
Softcover
208 pages
200×260 mm
2016
ISBN: 979-1-22001-034-4
LACUNA/AE. Identity and Modern Architecture in Venice is a photobook documenting the urban transformations of Venice, which occurred in the second half of the XX century. Over 100 photographs by 18 Italian photographers offer a valuable insight into understanding the city’s former industrial areas reconverted into social housing by some of the greatest Italian and international architects of the time, such as Giancarlo De Carlo, Gino Valle and Vittorio Gregotti. It is the case of the Trevisan area (a former cement factory and timber yard) and the S.A.F.F.A. area (former match factory, which hosted enormous industrial complexes redeveloped into new residential complexes during the 1980s). In addition to these restoration and renovation projects, the book also analyses new residential areas built on former swamplands or rural areas starting from the 1960s. The Island of Mazzorbo (a rural island which saw the construction of a complex of public housing in the 1980s) and the Island of Sacca Fisola (an artificial island built to meet Venice housing demand) are two of the most notable examples. The introductory essay Photography as a conscious process helps the reader to approach the volume: photograph is considered as an irreplaceable cultural requirement in the field of investigating the territory. The means aids us in perceiving, viewing and (re)living the contemporary surroundings, the city and the territory. The essay An industrial Venice, a modern Venice provides an insight into the history of the most significant industrial complexes in Venice and their requalification in the second half of the XX century. Follows the compass section, which describes the history and features of every area documented by the photographers. The texts are accompanied by historical images donated by the Archivio della Comunicazione (Communication Archive) of the Venice Municipality. The photographic section is at the core of the volume: 10 chapters, one for each area, include the different photography projects and related quotations from scientific, literary and philosophical texts. The visual and textual correspondences intend to promote an open interpretation of the architectural spaces. The volume aims to help the reader discover an almost forgotten chapter of the history of Venice, suggesting new visual starting points to observe the city from a new and unusual perspective.
Eleonora Milner is an editor and a photographer primarily interested in participatory art
and in photography projects focusing on contemporary urban landscapes. She has been awarded with a BA in DAMS Visual Arts in Bologna, Italy and a MA in ISIA, Cultural Heritage Photography in Urbino, Italy. She has participated in various group exhibitions. First Prize in Premio di fotografia Aldo Nascimben, ed 13°, with the reportage Et Nous? , Spazi Bomben, Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche
www.eleonoramilner.com