In theater and cinema, the FOURTH WALL is the imaginary barrier that separates the audience from the performance, allowing them to immerse themselves in the fiction as if it were reality. Places affected by overtourism are imbued with a similar tension between reality and illusion. They become stages, where visitors turn into spectators of a narrative shaped by stereotypes and artificial constructions. In this process, reality dissolves, making way for fictionalized landscapes that seduce and alienate, while concealing the true complexity of the place and its inhabitants. This thesis explores the relationship between self-representation and perception in destinations overwhelmed by tourism: How are these places narrated? And how does their storytelling shape the visitor’s gaze? Through a process of deconstruction, which dismantles in order to understand, this research investigates the communicative dynamics that generate a gaze capable of transforming places into spectacles and travelers into passive witnesses of a mediated reality. Unveiling these mechanisms allows us to adopt a different gaze: one that breaks through the illusion, fostering a more authentic and profound dialogue with places. It means crossing the threshold and confronting otherness. To narrate is to make visible, but it is also an act of selection, deciding what remains in the shadows. A conscious form of storytelling does not merely restore complexity and dignity to a place, it transforms the spectator into a critical observer, someone who actively engages with the meaning of the space they inhabit. Breaking the FOURTH WALL thus becomes an act of cultural responsibility—an invitation to move beyond the passivity of the tourist gaze, embracing a role that is participatory and aware, where the act of observing becomes an act of presence.
Nel teatro e nel cinema, la QUARTA PARETE è quel muro immaginario che separa lo spettatore dall’opera, consentendo di immergersi nella finzione come se fosse realtà. I luoghi affetti da overtourism sono impregnati da una simile tensione tra realtà e finzione. Palcoscenici dove i visitatori diventano spettatori di una rappresentazione governata da stereotipi e costruzioni artificiali, in cui la realtà si dissolve, lasciando spazio a scenografie fittizie che seducono e alienano, occultando le complessità autentiche del luogo e di chi lo abita. La tesi esplora il rapporto tra auto-rappresentazione e percezione nei luoghi affetti da sovraesposizione turistica: come vengono narrati questi luoghi? E in che modo il loro racconto plasma lo sguardo del visitatore? Attraverso un processo di de-costruzione, che smonta per comprendere, si indagano le dinamiche comunicative generatrici di questo sguardo che trasforma il luogo in spettacolo e il viaggiatore in testimone passivo di una realtà mediata. Svelarle ci porta ad uno sguardo diverso e ci permette di rompere questa parete, riconoscendo l’illusione e aprendosi a un dialogo più autentico e profondo con i luoghi. Affrontando la soglia e trovandoci ad interrogare l’alterità. Raccontare significa rendere visibile, ma implica anche scegliere cosa lasciare nell’ombra. Una narrazione consapevole non solo restituisce complessità e dignità alla realtà del luogo, ma trasforma lo spettatore in un osservatore critico, capace di partecipare attivamente al significato dello spazio che vive. Rompere la QUARTA PARETE diventa, così, un gesto di responsabilità culturale: un invito a superare la passività dello sguardo per abbracciare un ruolo partecipativo e consapevole, in cui l’atto di osservare diventa un atto di presenza.
Quarta Parete: sguardo tra realtà e finzione nei luoghi affetti da overtourism in Italia
Andreanelli, Asia
2023/2024
Abstract
In theater and cinema, the FOURTH WALL is the imaginary barrier that separates the audience from the performance, allowing them to immerse themselves in the fiction as if it were reality. Places affected by overtourism are imbued with a similar tension between reality and illusion. They become stages, where visitors turn into spectators of a narrative shaped by stereotypes and artificial constructions. In this process, reality dissolves, making way for fictionalized landscapes that seduce and alienate, while concealing the true complexity of the place and its inhabitants. This thesis explores the relationship between self-representation and perception in destinations overwhelmed by tourism: How are these places narrated? And how does their storytelling shape the visitor’s gaze? Through a process of deconstruction, which dismantles in order to understand, this research investigates the communicative dynamics that generate a gaze capable of transforming places into spectacles and travelers into passive witnesses of a mediated reality. Unveiling these mechanisms allows us to adopt a different gaze: one that breaks through the illusion, fostering a more authentic and profound dialogue with places. It means crossing the threshold and confronting otherness. To narrate is to make visible, but it is also an act of selection, deciding what remains in the shadows. A conscious form of storytelling does not merely restore complexity and dignity to a place, it transforms the spectator into a critical observer, someone who actively engages with the meaning of the space they inhabit. Breaking the FOURTH WALL thus becomes an act of cultural responsibility—an invitation to move beyond the passivity of the tourist gaze, embracing a role that is participatory and aware, where the act of observing becomes an act of presence.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Asia Andreanelli_Tesi Magistrale_Quarta Parete.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/236493