A little bit of Rome has landed in
London. The iconic Spanish Steps were the inspiration for 'Piazza di
Spagna', an art installation between British director Mike Figgis and
Italian photographer Massimo Vitali. Having admired each others work
for a number of years, a mutual friend, Vito Di Rosa got them together
for dinner where the idea for a collaborative project was hatched. Then
with the help of agnès b, the project could be realised and have its
World Premier at Somerset House this August.
'Piazza di Spagna' juxtaposes Vitali's still photography with
Figgis' moving image in an ecclesiastical triptych composition. The
large format photographs capture the hoards of tourists who flock to
the Spanish Steps every year and envelop the quadrant of
velvet-bordered LCD screens that brings to life the activity within the
photographs.
Through four female characters that seem plucked off Vitali's
Spanish steps, one actress, rising star Katy Saunders, acts out the
glimpses of life captured by Vitali. Taking on the guise of a street
robber, femme fatale, student and glamorous teen, your eye flickers
from screen to screen as the characters action overlaps and
synchronises in true Figgis style, very reminiscent of his 2000 braking
convention film, Timecode. The cheorgraphed action demands the viewer
to examine with childlike curiosity the detail embodied in Vitali's
photographs. We also become fascinated by the sociological dynamic as
hundreds of single portraits emerge from the crowds. Setting the tone
to the entirety of the work is the moody score composed by Figgis,
which reverberates through The Terrace Rooms as the action unfolds on
screen and photograph.
The intention of the work is to explore the relationship between
static and moving imagery, however, the latter out weighs the former as
the films dominate our attention. It's the difference between the eye
of a film director and that of a photographer and the consequential
narrative they each create, which is more interesting and successful.
Piazza di Spagna at Somerset house until 10th August
Open daily to the public from 10.00 - 18.00
Admission free.
Click here to watch an interview with Mike Figgis and Massimo Vitali by Freire Barnes and Sophie Smith.