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Exit, no Exit |
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written
by nmdaybaz / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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The crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione, Via Vento and the Spanish Steps are all three remarkably different places. At first glance they appear to have nothing in common: artistic displays of skeletal remains, a posh and happening street, and a large staircase. If the age old Sesame Street question: “which one of these is not like the others?” was posed, it seems as though all of them fit the bill. However, once one takes a closer look, the three share the same elemental function- to provide a place to display their most significant aspect.
At the crypt, though the skeletal sculptures and patterns of the friar’s corpses seem perverse and grotesque to most viewers, the Church most certainly did not intend for this reaction. To them it was a sign of respect, and honoring the friars whose bodies are now decorating the walls. They were able to gather all the remains of the Capuchins and place them under the church in their final resting place together. Instead of burying them all in neat graves, which one might assume to be the logical action, they displayed them so that everyone can see the friars and respect what they have contributed to the Church. Additionally, the artistic creativity employed in this display gives the deceased friars a much larger audience than rows of graves might.
On Via Vento everything from expensive car dealerships to posh hotels can be found. One walks by a Lamborghini dealer, where the sale of one vehicle would probably provide the seller with a quite comfortable retirement, and then passes the Hard Rock Café, an omnipotent American icon, a few blocks up. Across from the Café is the American Embassy, with armed guards at attention, and looking up the street one can see four star hotels with their fancy awnings demonstrating their pride. This major street is a place to “see and be seen.” On display here is wealth and class. To check into one of the hotels categorizes one as wealthy and prominent, and places them around people as such. Looking into the window of the Lamborghini shop with more than wishful thinking definitely places one into the category of wealth.
The Spanish Steps has a twofold display: that of the city and that of the people. To walk down the steps, they are artfully designed to have many stopping places along the way. As I went down, I paused at the various lookout points, snapping pictures of the city below or merely taking in the sights. Once one reaches the bottom of the stairs they can turn and look up them, watching all the people descend. The stairs provide a tiered display for its occupants, and a place to view the display of the city as one descends its steps.
Each place has its own unique display attracting a variety of audiences. One employs morbid fascination, another- societal prominence, and the other- tourist “Kodak moments” to draw their crowds. They use different techniques but their purpose is the same- to draw people in to see their exhibit to which they are so well suited to show off.
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