Ornament and crime: Power, gender and domestic opulence of Gomorrah (2014–21)

Italian TV series Gomorrah – The Series (2014–21) presents a contemporary dramatization of the lives of the Neapolitan Camorra based on Roberto Saviano’s novel (2006). This visual analysis critically examines the symbolism of the fictional domestic interiors of the main protagonists, Genny Savastano and Ciro Di Marzio, who inhabit the La Scampia neighbourhood of urban Naples. The rise in quality contemporary TV dramas which give high attention to character development, relationships and the elongated storyline has allowed the production quality to flourish. Thus, fictional interiors within quality TV series, such as Gomorrah, have become integral for the viewer to assimilate narrative and meaning from the interior spaces. In this close analysis, I use the lens of interior design to examine the mise en scène via the combination of components from the atmosphere, set, lighting and narrative. June Whiteread (2017) suggests the mise en scène of film and TV allows our eyes and imaginations to consider how it might feel to be in, to smell and to emulate the emotion with the fictional interior. Key to this visual scrutiny is how the curation of objects, furniture, colour palettes, ornamentation and decorative motifs serve as narrative backdrops. This critical analysis explores the boundaries of power, class and gender through the fictional interiors of Gomorrah , where the hard, masculine architecture conceals the jewel-like interiors encased within the darkness.