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Exit, no exit |
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written
by ninamil7 / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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On my initial descent down the Spanish Steps, my movement was slow, relaxed, and somewhat irregular. At certain points I had the urge to jump down three or four steps to the next platform, while at others I just wanted to stand and gaze at the crowds of people resting in the shade. Being a relatively hot day, I was drawn to the flowing water at the bottom of the steps in Pietro Bernini’s simple fountain. Once there, I smiled at the sight of a mother holding her young son up to a stream of water so that he could catch it in his mouth.
Strolling down Via Veneto was very comfortable. The street is lined with pleasant little restaurants and shops, fancy hotels, and big trees to block the sun. There is nothing to make you want to leave even if you don’t necessarily have a reason to stay. The same cannot be said, however, about the dark corridors of the Capuchin Crypt in Santa Maria della Conezione. Upon entering the crypt, you are bombarded with a most unusual display of thousands of human bones. The claustrophobic hallway stretches by six rooms until it hits a dead end. By this point, the carefully arranged bones and skeletons have imposed an uncomfortable feeling of morbidity. With no sign of an exit, the visitor is forced to retrace his or her steps, past all six rooms once again, to leave the crypt. The idea of being enclosed in a dark space without any clear exit is quite different than what one experiences with the directionality of the Spanish Steps or in the open street of the Via Veneto. Spatial orientation and ambiance work together to create either inviting spaces such as the Spanish Steps or Via Veneto or dark, unsettling places such as the Capuchin Crypt.
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