BURANOSCAPES
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INTERPRETING THE FAMOUS STREETS OF BURANO
My Buranoscapes are my interpretations of the little island of Burano, close to Venice, one of the attractions of the Venetian lagoon. Burano is historically famous for its laces and the vivid colours of its houses. Laces are still made on the island, and Burano’s colourful houses are much photographed by tourists, especially when reflected in the tranquil waters of its canals. For those interested in music, Burano is also known for being the birthplace of Baldassarre Galuppi (1708-1785).
Loving Venice and having been there many times, I have also repeatedly visited Burano, enjoying the beautiful coloured houses and the local food and typical pastry. I was never inspired to photograph the classic coloured houses reflected in the canals, however; perhaps, I simply couldn’t find a meaningful way to do so. This year, I went back to Burano once more. Walking on the backstreets of the island, a bit farther from the main tourist routes, I finally understood how I wanted to portray it.
Burano’s multi-coloured, ultra-saturated, made-up face is well known. What are not known are the much less glamorous urban landscapes hidden behind that face. Closed windows and doors, abandoned houses, crumbling walls. When I saw them, I knew these was the Burano I had to portray. Immediately, a muted colour palette came to my mind; with that, the decision to use my Noctilux f/1 wide open for all the photographs, to add a sense of timeless magic to the images.
I wanted the photos to make use of the peculiar character of this lens, of what some may call its technical imperfections. Vignette and soft corners at close distances, coming from shooting the lens wide open, were an integral part of the look I had in mind. I wanted the images to be very geometrical in composition, but not clinically sharp in their look. I wanted them to show the decadence behind the façade, but in a romantic way, not in a vivisecting one.
On an overcast day, perfect for the colour palette I had in mind, I took my Leica SL with my faithful Noctilux on it and went to work, creating the 36 images you’ll see in the gallery below (click on the images to enlarge):
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Lovely collection! I shall be visiting Burano for the second time next week; always a highlight of my visits to Venice. I shall view the architecture in a new light! Thank you.
Brian, thank you for your kind comment, I am glad you enjoyed the series! Burano is beautiful, but the face it offers to tourists is a bit “overdone”, I think – this time over, I saw the cracks behind the make-up and I had to portray the flip side of the coin, so to speak.