Art & culture
Franco Vaccari’s photobooth at the 1972 Venice Biennale
The visitors’ pictures became part of the work, rather than souvenirs outside it.
Imagine entering an exhibition room where your visit can leave a visible trace. Franco Vaccari’s 1972 installation offered a Photomatic machine to the public and invited people to leave photographs on the surrounding walls.
What the archive records
The Venice Biennale’s ASAC record names the installation Esposizione in tempo reale and places it in the 36th International Art Exhibition, 1972. Its description identifies the machine and the written invitation to visitors. It records an installation, not a conventional collection of preselected portraits.
Evidence: Exhibition archive
A wall that changes
The distinction matters when looking at documentation. A photograph of the room captures one stage of an unfolding activity. It cannot show every visitor’s contribution or every arrangement the wall passed through. Read an installation view as a moment in a process, rather than the single permanent appearance of the artwork.
A modest adaptation for a gathering
You can borrow the broad idea of a growing portrait wall without reproducing Vaccari’s artwork. Give guests a clear choice between keeping a strip and contributing a copy. Leave room for later arrivals, avoid making participation compulsory and photograph the display at agreed intervals so its changing arrangement can be remembered.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- La Biennale di Venezia, ASAC — Franco Vaccari, 1972Exhibition archive