BIANCO is a project for a 40–60-minute experimental film, set primarily within several spaces of Ca’ Rezzonico Museum in Venice. Its aim is to explore new narrative languages, moving between video art, experimental cinema and performance art, with a symbolic and surrealist approach. The film’s protagonist, Bianco, is inspired by the figure of Pulcinella painted by Giandomenico Tiepolo in the frescoes of Ca’ Rezzonico.
The video presented here is a short extract in which a man walks before being attacked by Pulcinella. In the end, however, the two characters merge into one: the attacker is also the victim. This pilot video was produced in collaboration with Associazione Itineris for theatrical support and acting (Elisa Stagni, Nicolò Caldani, Salman Azeem), Anna Sandrini for technical film production, and Massimo Rigaccini for the soundtrack.
Key Elements of the Story (Bianco)
The Pulcinella who inspired the character in the film is one of the many figures portrayed by Giandomenico Tiepolo, yet he is the only one wearing a bandana rather than the traditional pointed hat. This distinctive detail makes him unique and irreproducible, setting him apart from the others and giving him an almost comic-book quality that feels strikingly contemporary.
The colour white plays a dominant role throughout the work. From the character’s costume to numerous details within the scenes, white is not merely an aesthetic choice but also the gateway to a symbolic and mysterious dimension in which reality no longer rests upon familiar certainties. Although Pulcinella remains a lively and vigorous figure, here he appears suspended between individual existence and the constant flow of becoming, ultimately remaining elusive.
The film’s protagonist is a caricatural, imaginary figure. He never speaks, expressing himself solely through body language and gesture. Dressed entirely in white, his face is concealed either by a white mask or by partial white make-up, recalling traditional Japanese theatre, where white often signifies supernatural beings.