Dance-halls

Traditionally popular socialising venues, dance-floors (balere) continue to be a draw, although they may soon be relegated to the recent past.

They are part of the lives, past and present, of a certain number of Italians who have driven local decisions and growth. This work prompts critical reflection on social change in Italy, where leisure-time preferences and habits also have life cycles. These are places where the ephemeral has dialogued with all ranks of society – from blue-collar workers to entrepreneurs and the middle classes – with no ghettos; on the contrary, they have encouraged entire regions and provinces (from Emilia Romagna to the northern Marche, Tuscany, Liguria and Veneto) to socialise. This has made them the glitzy shrines of an aesthetic and a social growth where the dance ritual broke the weekly work routine.

Gian Luca Perrone’s reading of dance-hall interiors is seemingly neutral: there are no people and the sweeping visions are of epic proportions. These spaces, which include ballrooms, contain imagery stemming from a specific concept and a progressive presentation and narration of a pastime that is revealed in the way the tables and sofas are divided and where the orchestra, lights and dance-floor are placed. The photographs in this project were taken with a view camera on photographic plate. They are on display at the Gallerati gallery in Rome, curated by Camilla Boemio, until 10 September.

  After working at length on small-format photography, Gian Luca Perrone (1971) approached the medium-sized and then large format. He has spent years working with the pinhole camera and his works have been shown in several exhibitions in Italy.