There's always something eerie about seeing grand old spaces left to rot, be they Art Deco power plants or Saarinen-designed research labs. In documenting sets from Italian television shows, Paris-based photographer Simone Cavadini has channeled that same feeling through spaces that are still in use, showing that it's not the years of gathering dust that makes for great abandonment porn, but the lack of people in the frame. Without cheering crowds or smarmy TV personalities, the glitzy, over-the-top stages she features in Res Pvblica look pretty ridiculous.
For Cavadini, it's impossible to separate the delightfully campy aesthetic of these places from their political implications. According to Co.Design, she's aiming at exploring "the corrupt politics of a deeply trouble country," documenting architecture that "alludes, at least aesthetically, to Rome's history of staging spectator sports to remind the public of who is in charge." With the increasing scrutiny on how former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi used his control of broadcasting outlets to paint himself in a more positive light, these preposterous spaces might be a good deal more relevant than they look.
· The Blinding, Campy Beauty Of Italian TV Sets [Co.Design]
· All TV Time posts [Curbed National]