Tiber Houseboats
Bernhard Rappold
ITA/A 2010; 6:34; Video




During a three months scholarship in Rome, I got obsessed by the beauty of the Tiber houseboats.
Their architectural style echoed modernist eras, combined with a swamp-like improvised life of their residents.
Whereas until the 1950's, the Tiber has been used for swimming, all the public baths have been closed due to a water quality becoming worse and worse.
In contrast to the touristic places, the riverbank, even though being in the city center, seemed like a refuge of tranquillity.
I shot videos almost everyday, at different weather conditions and different day times. The Video is shot at highest zoom in order to achieve a flatness of space. Because of the great distance between the camera and the imagery the soundtrack doesn't capture the actual silence of the Tiber bank, where the boats are situated, but only the heavy traffic from above the canal. The silence only lies within the visual.