Gaspare De Pascali on the Hyperreal Scenography of 'Duse'

Set designer Gaspare De Pascali discusses his hyperreal approach to the film 'Duse', directed by Pietro Marcello and presented at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. De Pascali, born in Lecce and raised in Ravenna, trained between Italy and Australia and has worked across Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East. His method rejects cinematic classicism in favor of asymmetry and imperfection, drawing on influences from Monet, Tarkovsky, Vermeer, and Visconti. For 'Duse', he used period objects, military tents from museums, and historically accurate materials like handcrafted bread. He emphasizes light as a scenographic material that reveals character and mood. De Pascali balances realism with impressionism and baroque elements, anchoring his work in motivated light sources and material coherence. He integrates craftsmanship with digital tools, building miniature sets for testing before full-scale construction. His career includes projects like 'Concordia', 'Iddu', 'Primavera', 'Summertime', and 'The Bad Guy'. He sees three future directions for scenography: sustainability through reuse, hybridization of craft and digital, and shared education. He is currently working on an international film and two historical research projects.