giancarlo
leone

Giancarlo Leone (Catania, Sicily, 1964) is the cofounder

of Bettonica Leone, the Architecture and

Industrial Design office he runs with Luta Bettonica.

He is a graduate of the Milan Polytechnic. Leone sees

Architecture in everything, stepping in whenever the

evolutionary forces allow that to happen. He lives and

works between Milan and Catania, where Mount Etna

rises. Leone studies cities, wanting to know how people

inhabit them, what restrictions they have and which

advantages. With these questions in mind, he thinks,

writes and takes photographs.

His pictures of water flow forth from his interest in the

quality of life in Cities. Taking his time, he seeks out

urban voids and the silence that adorns them. “Streets

have become aseptic corridors of visual obtuseness

whose speed exceeds the limit of respect. The few urban

voids that remain are filled, not built.”

The photographic series “City on Water – d’Architettura

riflessa” can be understood as an urbanistic

compendium in which reflection gives Life to

Architecture. Leone has taken over 500 snapshots

with his iPhone so far, allowing him to “see the city

elsewhere”. Each image seizes an unrepeatable day,

hour, minute and second. Some look like watercolors;

others resemble pointillist paintings; a few are

reminiscent of Mario Sironi’s work. All are welcome

interpretations for simple portrayals of watery

reflections, unretouched.