Giovanna Silva, a photographer and the founder of Humboldt Books whose work explores architecture and urban space, was the 2020 ENEL Foundation Italian Fellow in Architecture, Urban Design, and Landscape Architecture.
Silva is preparing a volume about Rome represented through architecture, light, and its inhabitants. Another book, Mr. Bawa I Presume, to be published by Hatje Cantz this year, will explore the minimalist ecofriendly houses, schools, and hotels by the Sri Lankan “tropical modernist” Geoffrey Bawa. Mr. Bawa I Presume won a 2019 grant from the Graham Foundation.
Silva participated in AAR’s exhibition Cinque Mostre 2020: Convergence in February and March 2020.
Can you briefly describe your Fellowship project?
The idea for my project, which was developed when I did not know the city of Rome—I probably still donʼt, but at least I donʼt get lost anymore—is simple and crystal clear in its form. I wanted to meet writers, artists, and intellectuals based in Rome and ask them to guide me through their city. The project is based on a series of dialogues with these people, during which they would suggest a place which was important to them on a personal level or for the history of the city, and we would visit it together. Obviously, my vision is based on photography.
How did you approach your project while you were in Rome?
I of course knew some of the people I interviewed even before the residency. Other were unknown to me, but I always wanted to meet them, and due to logistic laziness—I live in Milan—I had yet not manage to. My approach was to write emails, explain the project, and show up at the agreed time at the indicated place. This approach generated very pleasant meetings, and I believe this is the most beautiful part of this work, experiences that I will carry with me forever.
Is there one Roman site, experience, or person that stands out for you in terms of impact on your project, or on your work more generally?
I am not able to mention one single person—there are too many people which have been intimately involved in this project, and I wouldnʼt want to fail anybody—but I can say there are some peculiar places I went back to several times. Maybe this is the typical answer of an architect, but I am an architect after all: the Coppedè neighborhood, the Foro Italico, the EUR. The real protagonist of my work is the light, and the very Roman color that it immerses things in.
Did your project change over the course of your time in Rome? If so, in what ways?
I found out I have an unexpected thing for flânerie, which was totally unknown to me before working on this project. Consequently, the project has changed. Beside the places mentioned by the interviewees, in the book there will also be the photographs I took during these random solitary strolls. But chance, especially in cities we donʼt know, is what guides us most of the time.
What do you think you will carry forward from the time you spent in Rome?
I donʼt know. I only know I will come back for a long period, and whenever I close my eyes I dream to be in Rome. This must mean something.