Title: Beach & Disco
Author: Massimo Vitali
Publisher: Steidl, 2000
Shooting from the elevated perspective of an eighteen-foot tripod or an observation deck, Massimo Vitali captures his fellow Italians in pursuit of pleasure -at the disco and on the beach. His disco images are an intriguing mix, showing us the public displays of both the inhibited and those liberated by their anonymity within a crowd, in his beach scenes, we are allowed to people-watch the people watchers, to voyeuristically scrutinize families and sunbathers -the modern participants in an age-old leisure ritual. Our focus shifts between the whole of the crowd and specific individuals, creating an interesting dynamic of combined panoramic photography and portraiture. This book is Vitali's much-anticipated debut publication.