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Into the Labyrinth: Photography series reveals a secret side to the sinking city

This photography series entitled Into the Labyrinth is a showcase of the work of Riccardo De Cal, taking place at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice, Italy, between 17 June and 21 August 2016. The exhibition will include 20 photographs, selected from De Cal's new publication Dream of Venice Architecture.

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A solitary figure stands on a terracotta-tiled rooftop overlooking turbulent greenish water, with a statue perched on a corner and a distant building visible

Inspired by novelist Jorge Luis Borges' statement that the maze, "is a building built to confuse people," De Cal has created an interior environment of metal armatures, audio recordings and photography. Designed by Melissa Siben, the exhibition exists as a modern three-dimensional representation of the intricate structure of Venice.

The photographs were taken over a three month period – between October and December 2015. De Cal described the experience as, "like listening to a melody coming from the calli, and trying to find its origin within the labyrinth. I felt like a dowser in search of water. Photographing Venice was not an intellectual approach, but rather instinctive and subliminal, instead."

After undertaking a degree in Architecture at IUAV in Venice, De Cal has developed a career as an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer. His research is focused on the themes of suspension of time and abstraction of spaces. Find out more at www.riccardodecal.com.

Via direct submission | All images © Riccardo De Cal

Long colonnade with rows of classical columns lining a patterned floor, leading towards a distant vanishing point lit by warm light
Venetian palazzo illuminated at night, its brick and stone facade reflected in the still water below, surrounded by mist and neighbouring buildings
Shadowy Venetian underpass with exposed wooden beams, arched doorway and figures silhouetted against bright stairs leading upwards in the distance
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