The abandoned and forgotten places have always had a mysterious charm. They attract and at the same time, their silence rejects us. A silence that in the series of photographs Absence of Water by Gigi Cifali is almost perceptible.

As Will Scott had immortalized the ruined shelters of the English seaside resorts, the photographer from Naples traveled around England in search of abandoned swimming pools. The architecture is weakened, but the details and elements that distinguished them are still clearly visible. Their aesthetics reflect all the optimism of the Victorian era when they were built.

The pools were created to be a meeting place for rich families during the summer season. With the passing of decades and the diffusion of low-cost holidays and other vacation possibilities, these places were gradually forgotten.

Places that have become the symbol of a society, habits, customs, and types of entertainment belonging to a distant past.

In addition, Absence of Water offers the opportunity to reflect on water, its function, and importance. Water establishes wealth and is crucial for the development and growth of man. Its absence inevitably leads to ruin, to the end of life, as happened with these pools.

But if you look at them well, in silence, I am sure that you will still be able to hear people’s voices, children’s screams and the sound of water.