Building facades are sometimes wrongly deemed “still life” images—at first glance they are seemingly stone and concrete, without soul. Throughout the ages, architecture has been used as a way to express a wide range of concepts: from power and influence to devotion, reflecting the historical, political, and religious beliefs of the period. Today, it can range from simple creativity and inspiration to a way to reveal different social and environmental problems.
Buildings are living entities themselves, speaking, through their relation with the human presence inside, their own language made of bright or soft colors and facades, open and closed windows, curtains and hanging clothes. Buildings and houses can stand for centuries while everything around them changes—not only the city, but also its inhabitants. All these changes, all these different lives leave a sign, a mark on the building.
Architecture speaks to us: there are so many stories to be discovered behind windows and walls of houses, stories waiting to be told. The images of the series are taken in Livorno, a beautiful seaside town of Tuscany, full of charm and mood.
Born in Piacenza, northern Italy, in 1985, Carlo Cafferini fell in love with photography relatively early, traveling in the wake of his uncles around France, Spain, and Portugal. He started with a rickety old film camera, and moved to digital reflex in 2010. Specializing in architectural and minimalist photography, he recently, turned to nature and landscape photography. Cafferini was commended in the “Architecture” category at the 2015 Sony Awards, was twice a finalist a Sipa (once with a remarkable award), won first place in category “Architecture: Building” at MIFA 2015, and third place in the same category at ND Awards 2015. His works have been featured in LensCulture, Domus, Designboom, Archilovers and printed in Aesthetica Magazine, Elle Decor Italia, Vogue Japan, and 1x Yearbook “Mono.” Follow him on Instagram at @carlocafferini
Published on February 5, 2019.
