The PHOTO OP series — to which SEMIOVOX has invited our semiotician colleagues from around the world to contribute — analyzes photos that we’ve snapped while “off the job.”

There are moments in life when lightness becomes as precious as gold. March 7, 2020 was one of those suspended days, the last day of “normality” before Italy came to a halt for lockdown. And what does a semiotician do on such a day? Instead of stockpiling pasta and toilet paper, I decide to transform Milan’s city center into my own personal art gallery….

OVS Milano – Porta Garibaldi. A crazy chessboard meets a floral explosion in what appears to be fast fashion’s most eccentric party. The window display seems to have emerged from an avant-garde manifesto, with its decomposed forms and its challenge to aesthetic conventions. Obviously, the window is not a Dadaist artwork. But its use of collage, the deformation of reality, the combination of contrasting elements and the provocative aspect… yes, somehow it is Dadaism.

Diptyque Milano — Via Brera. A vase challenges Newton by presenting its perfumes upside-down. The flowers seem to say: “We’re not in Wonderland, but almost,” as they bloom downward. I feel like I’m seeing artwork by Salvador Dalí, who often represented everyday objects in a distorted and symbolic way. And then the atmosphere is so dreamlike. We’re invited to play a perception-game, one that invites the viewer to question the nature of reality. Yes, it’s Surrealism! (PS: Diptyque is a highly exclusive perfume brand.)

Bonomelli Atelier of Nature – Milan Center. The vertical lines wink at passers-by as if Vasarely [the “grandfather” of Op Art] had decided to open a tea shop. And nature falls in line, literally, creating an organic barcode. It’s as if a Zen garden had met a color-blindness test, generating an explosion of geometric harmony. It seems to move or vibrate… so it’s Op Art, right? On the other hand, the geometric and abstract character of the composition, with its pure lines and vibrant colors, reminds me of Constructivism. So: Op-Art Constructivism!

PHOTO OP: Mariane Cara (Brazil) on LA LUCHA CONTINUA | Aiyana Gunjan (India) on YAMRAJ | Greg Rowland (England) on I ❤️ FOOD | Gabriela Pedranti (Spain) on NOT SO TRIVIAL | Biba Allarakia (Saudi Arabia) on ALL THAT GLITTERS | Brian Khumalo (South Africa) on A LOST MEMORY | Becks Collins (England) on A MILLENNIAL ON THE BRINK | Samuel Grange (France) on SLOW DOWN | Rachel Lawes (England) on DESKTOP COLLECTIONS | Marie Lena Tupot (USA) on BOX OFFICE | Sónia Marques (Portugal) on SWISS-NESS | Serdar Paktin (Turkey / England) on BOTTLE SERVICE | Stefania Gogna (Italy) on OPEN-AIR MUSEUM | Charles Leech (Canada) on IS IT IRONIC? | Kishore Budha (England) on DOWN THE TUBE | Josh Glenn (USA) on JOINED AT THE DIP | Mark Lemon (England) on SHOP LOCAL | William Liu (China) on SWAN SONG | Malcolm Evans (Wales) on CHOCOCRACK | Paulina Goch-Kenawy (Poland) on POLAND’S NEW (HI)STORY | Adelina Vaca (Mexico) on WHAT’S YOUR POISON? | Natasha Delliston (England) on NATURE BATHING | Ramona Lyons (USA) on DEATH TO TECH | Victoria Gerstman (England) on TBD | Ximena Tobi (Argentina) on TBD.

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET.