PART 5 - PROJECT 2 - COURSEWORK

I had the chance to read the short book by Georges Perec, which describes his three-day project in Paris, sitting in a café on the Place Saint Sulpice.

Perec states he was looking for the "infraordinary".

This makes me think of another book, "Uncommon Places" by Stephen Shore: although Perec and Shore use different terms (ordinary vs common, infraordinary vs uncommon), their research have similarities in the goal and, at the same time, use different methods.

In Perec's case, he researches every single detail, even the most fleeting, to combine it with the static nature of the square and thus achieve a unique moment that is worth noting. 

His work consists of three days of unique moments, and this also makes me think of the search for Cartier Bresson on the "decisive moment". 

Stephen Shore instead wanders through United States, inside and outside buildings and open spaces, "drifting" on impressions, on a visual and emotional flow that he then tries to represent with a photo, transforming a common place into uncommon.

I had just over an hour to complete my exercise, so that this effort is not comparable at all to that of Perec or Shore.

I made a list of steps to take:

- choose a place;
- choose a time;
- choose whether to write and take photographs, or just write;
- choose the photographic equipment.

I thought of a place in my city called Serravalle, and of a bench, from which we can see the historic square, the river Meschio, the houses, the hill, the mountain. You can also see people walking around, having a coffee, resting.

The most favorable moment for me, Saturday afternoon.

I chose to write the list and take photographs.

I thought of a freehand and a 35 mm full-frame-eq. lens, in order to align the camera with what I see by my eyes.

I chose to sit on the bench, write the list, take pictures from the same position, but standing up.

• The narrow gravel driveway;
• the parapet and the stone column;
• the inner garden with the thick hedge;
• the palm tree;
• the dark river;
• the opposite parapet, in stone;
• the houses, attached one to each other, along the opposite bank;
• people sitting on the opposite parapet;
• the house with the nice terrace and a mullioned window;
• the hill on the left side;
• the column of the square;
• the tree between the houses:
• many closed windows;
• the flowers on the windows;
• the runners of an amateur marathon.
  
  

• The square with people walking around;
• the ancient buildings;
• the bars and cafes;
• stores;
• the museum;
• people sitting in cafes;
• the clock tower;
• the arcades;
• the base of the flagpole of the city flag;
• the fence that marks the marathon runners' lane;
• the mountain in the background.

• The pharmacy under the arcades;
• the square delimitation columns;
• the house for sale;
• billboards;
• passing cars;
• the mountain in the background to the right;
• the terraces.

For my photographic representation I chose to remain from my point of view, first of all to be able to have an overall view and then to be able to break down the single image into three photographic shots.

In my opinion this method makes the list and the photographs complement each other.

If I had to compare my working method with that of Perec, I would immediately find the differences, beyond the period of time in which the work took place: first of all I have not (been able) to leave room for impressions but I have only noted what I saw, with a reasonable level of detail. 

 With more time available, I could sit at the cafè in the square and so get closer to certain details and put them together with impressions or what I felt with other senses. 

For example, the elderly couple sitting on the parapet of the river (photo 3, on the right side): the lady continuously checks the bag, resting on her side, for fear that it will fall into the water. A cyclist arrives and stops to talk to them: he asks about the marathon and the two elders ask him how the bicycle trip went.

For this exercise I chose a small trip that every working morning, very early, from Monday to Friday, I do to go to work: from the kitchen, where I take my medicines and vitamins, where I take coffee and biscuits, to the garage where I take the car.

Each photo is taken with artificial light because, at that time, it's still dark outside.

 

I live in an apartment on the top of 6 floors, and every morning I find myself choosing between using the elevator or do the healthier exercise of taking the stairs in order to reach the basement, where, through a tunnel, I arrive at the garage and my car.

 

In this brief exercise I tried to convey the paradox of a day that is still night and the atmosphere of the routine made of habits and small rites of choice, which are the only variation on the repeated theme of the journey to work.

 

I think I could develop this theme in the future and do a complete body of work, because, making this group of photos, I had the inspiration to make others, to dig even deeper into the emotions and feelings arising from this apparently dry and repetitive event of my life.