Variations on Piranesi’s Carceri

IDEA JOURNAL, vol. 19

Abstract

As one of architectural printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s most studied print series, Carceri d’invenzione (1750–1761) constitutes a timeless precedent for architectural experimentation. This text-based research essay describes the outcomes of a design-driven experiment that attempted to unpack the hidden potential of Carceri in the domain of architectural representation. The aim was to analyse Piranesi’s oeuvre from a new curatorial perspective, as well as propose a further speculative step in the hermeneutics of Carceri. In our experiments, the Carceri was understood as a temporary aggregate of heterogeneous materials capable of establishing a metaphorical link with architectural objects at different scales.

Authors 2

1. Andrea Alberto Dutto Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

2. Maria Fedorchenko

   Architectural Association School of Architecture

   Affiliation as printed

   Architectural Association School of Architecture