The theme for the Venice Carnevale 2024 is "Ad Oriente. The amazing journey of Marco Polo”, so many people come with chinoiserie kind of costumes. Chinoiserie is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theatre, and music.
Marco Polo (c. 1254 – 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty, giving their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan and other Asian cities and countries.
The 2024 Venice Carnival celebrates the world's most famous traveller. On the 700th anniversary of his death on 8 January 1324, Marco Polo returns to the lagoon as the main protagonist of the traditional festivities in Venice. The theme of travel is about discovery and coming face to face with the Far East, places that were only previously imagined...
I managed to photograph quite a few Chinese and Japanese inspired costumes at the Venice Carnevale this year, so I am thrilled when my dear friend came up with an Indian inspired costume.
With inspiration from the Travels of Marco Polo and the hit song by Kylie Minogue...these are the results of my photo session with veteran photographer and model Gioacchino Sparrone. We decided to name it Padam Padam.
“Padam Padam”, which is repeated throughout the Kylie Minogue song, is onomatopoeia for the sound of a beating heart.
Again, just some simple portraits using natural lighting only...
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