Deriu, D. 2023. Photography as Criticism: Gabriele Basilico and the Project of a “Small Utopia”. European Architectural History Network 7th International Meeting. Madrid, Spain 15 - 18 Jun 2022 Ediciones Asimétricas. https://doi.org/10.20868/UPM.book.75019
| Title | Photography as Criticism: Gabriele Basilico and the Project of a “Small Utopia” |
|---|---|
| Authors | Deriu, D. |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | The camera has been used as a tool of architectural representation since the mid-19th century. But can photography be rightly considered a form of criticism? Affirmative answers are suggested by the works of several architects who have embraced this medium to explore the built environment and reflect upon its material and social conditions. Indeed, the writer and photographer Eric de Maré went as far as pronouncing that the photographer was possibly the best architectural critic. In the late-20th century, a key role was played by Gabriele Basilico, who set out to depict the mutation of urban landscapes under the effects of deindustrialisation. Working for magazines as well as for public institutions, the late Italian photographer developed an analytical method that allowed him to probe the complexity of cities as human habitats. The paper revisits Basilico’s early work and discusses its relevance to architectural criticism. It argues, with reference to a series of photographic journeys that span from the 1970s to the 1990s, that his landscape vision was integral to a wider rethinking of the built environment. Driven by a relentless pursuit of harmony, Basilico sought out an intimate relation with places while eschewing the eulogistic rhetoric that dominated in the architectural press. His contemplative images contain the seeds of what he called a “small utopia”: a personal quest nourished by critical dialogues with writers, journalists and architects. |
| Keywords | Basilico |
| Gabriele | |
| criticism | |
| photography | |
| urban landscape | |
| utopia | |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | European Architectural History Network 7th International Meeting |
| Publisher | Ediciones Asimétricas |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | Aug 2023 |
| Book title | European Architectural History Network, EAHN 2022 : 7th International Meeting. Conference Proceedings |
| ISBN | 9788419050533 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.20868/UPM.book.75019 |
| Web address (URL) of conference proceedings | https://oa.upm.es/75019/ |
| Web address (URL) | https://oa.upm.es/75019/ |