Elements of Venice by Foscari Giulia

by Giulia Foscari

The book Elements of Venice reveals, through the analysis of single architectural elements, the metamorphic nature of Venice, a city in which most buildings underwent throughout the centuries substantial volumetric and formal transformations informed by political and cultural shifts.Developed as a parallel research project of Fundamentals - the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Rem Koolhaas - the book Elements of Venice offers insights on Venetian facades, stairs, corridors, floors, ramps, ceilings, doors, hearths, windows, balconies and walls.Product not [only] of the mind but of societal organization, the elements are isolated from their picture-perfect context and from the postcard view of Venice that is impressed in our retinas, introducing the reader - through a combination of collages, drawings, photographs, paintings, film stills and quotes - to a radically new way of seeing Venice. Like a camera obscura photograph cuts through the often irrelevant embellishments of architecture to reveal the underlying skeleton of a building (i.e. its elements), this guide will allow the reader to better understand the fundamental transformations that have shaped Venice during the past ten centuries.

Genres: Architecture, Urban Planning, History, Travel, Art

Unknown Binding

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Hal O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books about Venexia dwell on the glorious past. This one doesn't feel that way at all. In Hollywood high-concept style, imagine Alexander's "A Pattern Language" meeting Wurman's ACCESS guides (back when he was still writing them himself, say the late 1980s or so). Graphically elegant, packed with information. Like "Pattern Language," you're unlikely to read it cover-to-cover -- a splash here, a deep dive there.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got an aesthetic pleasure reading the book with so many visuals including infographics, photos and architectural drawings! There are some history notes as well. All in all I found this book fascinating work of art by itself!