The images or visions delivered by capricci, although fanciful, are plausible and bring discussions and images of possible worlds to the forefront. In Carceri, Ulya Vogt-Göknil sees a potential liberation of form. The indefinite openness of the spaces, embedded one within the other, their multiplication, their metamorphosis, and their disarticulation polemically surpass the sources of the Carceri itself. The architectural forms of unrealism defy physical and constructive rules, manifesting themselves as a microcosm of the complexities between the real and the imaginary, between the concrete and the abstract, but which are made possible by representation. What is the distinction between concrete and imaginary objects? The former, palpable and perceptible through the senses, occupy a place in the physical world; while the latter reside in the mind, as abstract constructs lacking material presence. Although these two categories seem distant, their connection is established through the process of representation, where they can transform mental images into compre- hensible and concrete expressions. Is it possible to materialize an impossible architectural represen- tation? Piranesi's etchings, with pillars that do not touch the ground, corridors without destination, and staircases connecting impossible spaces, lack real logic. However, reinterpreting these representations as fragments of a single space, rather than isolated prisons, suggests that they might form a decomposed whole. This raises questions about Piranesi's intention, possibly intended to challenge the conventional idea of architectural unity. In other words, they are not unconnected entities but fragments of the same place, offering different perspectives of a single prison. The author invites the viewer to recompose spatial distortions and fragments of an apparently unsolvable puzzle. His prints present scenes that suggest centrality but never reach it when viewed as independent pieces. The objective is to try to fit these pieces together to achieve a new place, understanding the representations as parts of an original unity. The research proposes to reconstruct a feasible unit through a meth- odology that transforms representations into tangible objects, avoiding single answers and encouraging the plurality of perspectives to achieve authentic and materializable interpretations, without seeking an abso- lute truth for fictitious objects. Yet, how can one undertake a concrete project based on the representation of architectural lithographs, when its constructive nature is based on the impossible? Reinterpretations A restlessness arises through the crossover between Piranesi's visions of prisons and the photographs of coal mines captured by Bernd and Hilla Becher. This series, published in 1991, reinterprets structures of the past considered obsolete and that present an aura of mystery and abandonment, just like Piranesi's images. Their photographs symbolize a convergence of times, where past and present intertwine in the imag- ination of the past in future times. The Carceri adopt the opposite perspective looking towards a possible future translated into prison imagery: structures impossible to build at that time, even today - as Francesco Dal Co- says, to definitively ruin the lost past. The presence of time as a primordial element in Piranesi's work is also manifested in the two stages (1750-1761) since the original situation of the structures is not what is represented, but their terminal stage, where there was an intermediate point when the prisons reached their maximum splendor. This could also resemble the photomontag- es of contemporary artists such as Yona Friedman or Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys, which present fragmented elements connected to each other: creations of the past that aspire to transform themselves into a vision of the future. The structures captured by Bernd and Hilla Becher can reinterpret the past in a modern setting, while those in "Carceri d'invenzione" are creations of the past that aspire to transform themselves into a vision
of the future. Unlike the coal mine structures, the prisons are not limited solely to the past; instead, they want to evolve and move forward into the uncertain. The specific choice of elements, such as worn pulleys and taut chains, seek to position the object at a temporal crossroads, where pre-modern structures are projected into the future and objects of the past seek redefinition in the present. Piranesi's imaginary prisons embrace their past condition intending to transform themselves into something more, something that transcends the limits of their own time and seeks to take root in a future yet to be discovered. By combining Piranesi's prisons with the structures photographed by Bernd and Hilla Becher into a single entity, interpretations emerge. One suggests that the new prisons are in a preliminary or ongoing construc- tion phase. This idea leads to the conclusion that the object somehow encapsulates the entire construction process aimed at unifying the prisons. A final interpretation suggests that while each of the prisons offers a specific representation, by joining them together a complete unit is formed. However, between each union, a space, or buffer, emerges that allows all the functions of the representations to operate harmoniously. The reassembly of this puzzle seems to have no truth, the interactions between the pieces are perfectly imperfect. Approaching Piranesi's prisons from this way of thinking implies overcoming this singular vision, where the viewer is confronted with the paradox of a space that is neither completely resolved nor comprehensible, but that can be reconstructed and interpreted as a unitary path. !
Pedro del Campo Best Master's Thesis in Architecture, 2023, from Universidad Católica de Chile. Subsequently, "Sixteen is to one", a reinterpretation of Piranesi's prisons, was exhibited in an open exhibition and a seminar that inaugurated the 2024 academic year at that Faculty.
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AOA / n°50
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