Portico, Bologna

March 2013

 

Hiding in the shadows of sheltered arcades, I am present yet invisible. I am hiding in  in the sound of heels on polished floors, in the smells of perfume shops behind the doors, in the movement and chattering of schoolchildren passing. My steps disappear in the sound of cars and scooters on the cobblestone streets one meter away, separated from this space by a line of columns. I am hidden in the smell of moist, yesterdays rain on the porous, centuries old stones, cherishing the warmth of the morning sun. I am hiding in pastel colors: ochre, shades of brown, yellow and orange, in the contrastingly bright reds and greens of the vegetable market.
In this city, I am a visitor, an observer, I wander through its streets, its arcades, I am part of its endless linear covered spaces for a few hours or days but I leave no trace, I remain unseen in this feast of colors, smells and sounds, I am here only to transfer these perceptions into words, to evoke them from a soundless, colorless, scentless screen.

photo's kh