Setting the Stage: Photography as Object and Prop

This site-specific workshop took the layered, indeterminate architecture of Lusuolo Castle as its conceptual departure point—a structure shaped by centuries of deconstruction and reconstruction. Engaging with the sculptural potential of photographic materials, I developed an installation that responded directly to the castle’s fragmented form and theatrical legacy.

Inspired by the way castles have historically functioned as backdrops in stage design and performance, I explored the photograph as both prop and spatial intervention. The work considered how photography can perform scenographically—inhabiting space, framing views, and shaping narrative.

Throughout the workshop, we collaboratively built a temporary installation using materials supplied by the lead artist. The resulting sculpture, situated within the castle walls, integrated printed photographic surfaces with found and constructed objects—acting as both set and sculpture. The installation was inherently ephemeral, echoing the provisional nature of stagecraft and the shifting identity of the castle itself.