Books by Antonio Scontrino
MDA, 2019
Panoramic views are accessible through camera phones, mouse cursors, and fingertips to due to dev... more Panoramic views are accessible through camera phones, mouse cursors, and fingertips to due to developments in digital technology, which also support large-scale and immersive projections. In the early 19th century the desire to release art and paintings from the confines of a frame started a movement which still is alive today. The latest example is Yadegar Asisi’s creation of the ancient city of Pergamon as a 360º panorama in Berlin. This paper explores the relationship between scenographic design and tectonic architecture with the purpose of creating the illusion of unlimited spatial expanse; it will articulate a specific relational network between contemporary spatial and architectural understanding and its influence on subsequent developments in simulations.
In advertising photography’s crowded and competitive world, creativity and originality of style a... more In advertising photography’s crowded and competitive world, creativity and originality of style are key distinguishers. Some photographers challenge conventions to assert their innovative ideas. Dealing with extremely delicate social issues and effectively using them is a rare and difficult task in this field. In this regard Oliviero Toscani and David LaChapelle mark an era in advertising photography. These artists have started a new phase in fashion photography by inventing a revolutionary approach to business, communication, and public relations. Although both photographers worked with similar content, they applied different techniques and styles, and their work significantly differs in in terms of implementation and execution of photographic projects. The following article aims to highlight such resemblances and differences in the works of these two influential 20th century photographers.
Papers by Antonio Scontrino
This paper is a glance into Tehran’s “landscape of modernity” and contemporary discourses of the ... more This paper is a glance into Tehran’s “landscape of modernity” and contemporary discourses of the city’s patoghs as informal, ad hoc, and temporary, socially constructed, public spaces. This paper, inviting for innovative multidisciplinary approaches to architectural and urban research, first, introduces every city’s demand for the “protean space,” and then, historicallytheoretically, analyzes the contemporary urban landscape of patogh-space networks of Tehran to study some of their qualities as “protean spaces.” Ultimately, this paper “maps” a creative method for looking at Tehran’s “now” of architecture and urban space, not merely based upon the “old-school dialectics” of “tradition” versus “modernity,” but also focused on “dynamic, mutating, and transitory” elements of the city’s contemporary landscape. This paper follows a larger research that uses the analyses of ad hoc public/semipublic-semiprivate spaces of Tehran, those ambiguous, not-clearlydemarcated corners of the city and...
As I look age 40 in the face, I have often thought of the changes I've seen living in Iowa most o... more As I look age 40 in the face, I have often thought of the changes I've seen living in Iowa most of my life. I've seen the rise and fall of numerous shopping malls, the birth of internet commerce, and the eventual domination of consumer dollars by large, cookie-cutter juggernauts. National chains have extended their hold in retail, dining, grocery stores, gas stations etc. to an almost unbelievable scale. Throughout all of this, one thing that hasn't changed is the complete dependency on the automobile to get practically everywhere. All of these factors contributed to the demise of our downtowns. When I was a kid, growing up in a small town in the 1980s, (Manson, Iowa, population 1700), we had two grocery stores, a men's clothing store, a women's clothing store, a variety store, and several independent restaurants. Much of that eventually disappeared. Not coincidentally, it was not uncommon for residents of our small community to drive 20 miles to buy groceries at a big box store, as opposed to walking two blocks to buy things locally. It was the same in most communities. As a result, a shocking level of decay set into our historic downtowns. Being a history lover, I always found this puzzling. How could these treasures be allowed rot away before our eyes? Shouldn't something be done? Didn't anybody care? It was really only through my involvement with Main Street that I really looked at this problem squarely in the face. The decay of our historic downtowns is, at its core, the result of our economic choices. It is the product of suburbanization, automobile worship, cheap imported goods, and corporate money and power. But before we point too many fingers, it is also the result of a consumer base that all too often flocks to whatever is cheapest and easiest to get its hands on. In other words, as Pogo the Possum once famously quipped: we have met the enemy…and it is us. A small but growing contingency of both entrepreneurs and consumers want something better. They have watched, considered, and learned from what they have observed. Their conclusion can be simply summed up: there is a high cost to these low prices. The price we pay is the loss of what made our individual communities special and worth living in to begin with. In addition, of course, there are environmental costs, health costs, and economic costs far too numerous to attend to in this short essay. Antonio Scontrino, as a professor of photography and visual communication, clearly wants to be part of this good fight when it comes to preserving our unique downtowns. He has experienced the "little guys" holding their own. His photo documentation offers a select sampling of our downtown community here in Waterloo, Iowa. This project shows the intimate connection between these individuals and the unique businesses enterprises they operate. Antonio brilliantly captures how these businesses are, in many ways, simply an extension of the proprietor's own persona. In their own way, the people in this artistic display are themselves artists…people who simply needed to create, who want to leave a piece of themselves behind. They had a vision, a vision which they passionately pursued to make a reality. For many of them, working a nine to five for a national chain is completely out of the question. The people in these photos represent a different path. iii Every one of these photos is a unique story. These stories are worth learning and supporting if we, as a community, value a vibrant sense of place where we choose to live. We vote with our feet and with our dollars. Who do you choose to support? What kind of community do you want to live in? Somehow, some way, creativity and intelligence often finds like-minds, like some strange law of attraction. People can often sense a vibe of artistry and creativity in a community (or a lack thereof) almost immediately. I am of a mind that we have started to attract this vibe in downtown Waterloo. People come because they value the unique architecture, the eclectic diverse population, or the geographic loca-tion…but oftentimes, too, I think they come because they want to be a part of that unique and creative community. Really, at the end of the day, if you want to make a place special, you need to attract creative, talented people. It is as simple as that. "Faces of Main Street" has given us the chance to once again become personal with our small business owners whose eyes and posture reveal their resilience, determination, passion, and hope. Allow us to introduce just such a group!
Fashion photography is a form of art. Several important photographers are challenging themselves ... more Fashion photography is a form of art. Several important photographers are challenging themselves to work and be creative and innovative to make an impact on the Fashion Industry. Creativity and originality of style are key elements to affirm themselves in an increasingly crowded and competitive world of advertising photography. Some photographers challenge conventions to assert their innovative ideas. This article examines how two of the most important fashion photographers Oliviero Toscani Italian, and David La Chapelle American, marked an era in advertising photography using similar content but with totally different technique and style. There are many similarities in the two photographers work, but a big difference in the implementation and execution of the photographic project. The following article aims to highlight resemblances and differences between two artists considered among the most important and influential photographers of the 20th century
Creativity and originality of style are key elements to affirm themselves in an increasingly crow... more Creativity and originality of style are key elements to affirm themselves in an increasingly crowded and competitive world of advertising photography. Some photographers challenge conventions to assert their innovative ideas. Dealing with extremely delicate social issues and using them effectively in the advertising world is a very rare and difficult task. Oliviero Toscani and David LaChapelle marked an era in advertising photography using similar content but with totally different technique and style. They have written and started a new phase of fashion photography, inventing a revolutionary approach to business, communication and public relations. There are many similarities in the two photographers work, but a big difference in the implementation and execution of the photographic project. The following article aims to highlight resemblances and differences between two artists considered among the most important and influential photographers of the 20th century. Creativity and col...
J iazza Armerina 2007 - Suite d'Autore è un art design gallery hotel: un albergo con opere d... more J iazza Armerina 2007 - Suite d'Autore è un art design gallery hotel: un albergo con opere d'arte e design. Gli ambienti in Suite sono eterogenei e di gran fascino: dalle creazioni di Beppe Madaudo agli oggetti seriali di Philippe Starck. La scelta di questi dipende naturalmente dal gusto ...
This paper focuses on the work of two prominent photographers: Helmut Newton (1920-2004), David H... more This paper focuses on the work of two prominent photographers: Helmut Newton (1920-2004), David Hamilton (1933 -2016) I will consider the historical context in which they worked and analyze some images created by them, to investigate their photographic style and technique and how the two artists chose to portray women and why.
The representation of women through the images of two of the most influential fashion photographe... more The representation of women through the images of two of the most influential fashion photographers of all time: Helmut Newton and David Hamilton. This paper describes the differences in terms of style and concepts among those artists and aim to explain how their images contributed to strengthen highly stereotypical empowering or demeaning images of women that typically appear in fashion advertisements.
Visual Communication
This visual essay explores the anatomy of model trees and the beauty evident in their creation. T... more This visual essay explores the anatomy of model trees and the beauty evident in their creation. The aim is to explore the interpretive aspect that both drives and allows for this inventive exploration of trees. The authors highlight the important interplay between landscape, botany, architecture, art, and design, all of which will aid readers in formulating their own vision of trees.
This visual essay explores the anatomy of model trees and the beauty evident in their creation. T... more This visual essay explores the anatomy of model trees and the beauty evident in their creation. The aim is to explore the interpretive aspect that both drives and allows for this inventive exploration of trees. This essay will highlight the important interplay between landscape, botany, architecture, art, and design, all of which will aid the reader in formulating his/her own vision of trees.
Thesis Chapters by Antonio Scontrino
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Books by Antonio Scontrino
Papers by Antonio Scontrino
Thesis Chapters by Antonio Scontrino