Les Demeures invisibles - Bersabée

This photographic journey is based on Italo Calvino’s book Invisible Cities. Sylvain Heraud's work is broken down into seven series of photos illustrating seven of Italo Calvino’s cities. The photos depict various aspects of the chosen imaginary cities, enabling the reader to visualise them. The collection was therefore named Invisible Dwellings, in parallel with Invisible Cities. The photographs in the project were taken in various places built and inhabited by Man. The six‑year‑long project covered regions throughout the world, and resulted in photos that defined the architecture of the societies in question and offered a window into the past. The city of Bérsabée In Beersheba, the belief has been passed on that the city has two other twin cities. One city is said to be suspended in the heavens and built solely from the finest materials. In parallel, there exists a subterranean and infernal Beersheba, whose decay is in stark contrast to the magnificence of its heavenly sibling. This Beersheba is formed of decaying materials and changing colours. The various scenes in this chapter depict architecture that is reminiscent of the grand palaces of the celestial Beersheba, yet the dwellings in the lower Beersheba have been abandoned. Their textures change over time, with some colours fading and other hues appearing. The dwellings of the subterranean Beersheba evolve according to changes in the colour schemes.