ZENITH PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION OF IRANIAN ARCHITECTURES.
For the first time in Italy, the Zenitale photographic exhibition of Iranian architecture by Franco Zampetti in collaboration with the Municipality of Livorno.
The initiative born from the idea of the architect Zampetti who recounts his travel experience in Iran:
I have been interested in zenithal photography of architectural subjects for many years, parallel to the activity of architect that I have been practicing since 1980. The idea and the contemporary hope of a trip to Iran were born when I verified the first results of the camera for zenithal photos which I made in 2008; in fact, the zenithal technique makes it possible to synthesize from a single central point of view both the planimetric and the perspective vision of the space, with effects of particular interest.
It is a unique device of its kind that allows you to produce photographs free of geometric distortions and with a wider overall vision than could be observed with the naked eye; the circular format on a square base is its original feature; all the photos displayed in this exhibition were taken with this camera.
I knew briefly the most important and prestigious examples of Persian architecture and the desire to be able to photograph them with the zenithal technique grew over the years until, thanks to a series of acquaintances and favorable circumstances, I was able to organize a trip specifically for this scope. Having never visited Iran before, it was necessary to acquire information on access methods, general and detailed economic conditions, climate, travel and accommodation logistics, usable languages, accessibility to web services and so on.
I also compiled a list of places to photograph and gathered information for their accessibility and any special conditions to be respected; subsequently I identified the best period in terms of climate, temperature and logistics in the second half of April 2019. Basically I "planned" a trip in total autonomy as best I could, immediately discarding the hypothesis of an organized group trip, given the specific photographic needs that I had set for myself and that, being part of a group of tourists, I could not have satisfied.
All of this was possible thanks to friends and Iranian architect colleagues, with whose support it was easy to plan and implement what I had in mind in the best possible way. I also had the support of the Cultural Institute of the Islamic Republic of Iran based in Rome, which provided me with valuable information and valuable advice that contributed to the excellent success of my particular photographic journey.
In the total of 11 days in Iran I took 41 zenithal photos, of which the most significant are exhibited in this exhibition and overall they are all visible on my website at the following link: https://www.francozampetti.com/gallerietema/capolavori-in -Iran/
The experience of this trip to Iran was highly satisfying, in addition to the splendid architecture, I was struck by the friendliness of the Iranians, always available to give information and browse around my particular photographic equipment and the zenithal photos that I often showed them on my tablet ; I greatly appreciated the convenience of traveling on the VIP bus, even for very long overnight journeys, the cordial welcome from the hoteliers and, last but not least, a cuisine full of particularities and characterized by exotic and genuine flavours.
Date: from 01 to 15 September 2023
at: Extrafactory, Via della Pina d'Oro, 2 Livorno
