Made for the exhibition Requiem for the Staircase, the sculptures interpret 13 essential staircases, corresponding to the images on the left:

1. Straight Staircase It is the simplest and, probably, the oldest. The most modest one may have only three steps and rise just a few inches; the monumental one, leading to a Roman temple, a grand museum, or a courthouse, may have many flights and great width; the one imagined by artists can be infinite: these are the stairs of Odessa in Battleship Potemkin, or the ones in The Trial by Orson Welles.

2. Staircase emerging from a wall The staircase is formed either by excavating the wall or by embedding the steps into the wall and allowing them to extend into the air. Very primitive, like those that overcome the unevenness of terraced vineyard grounds, embedded within the thickness of the wall itself; or highly advanced, with independent steps, metallic or made of glass, each emerging one by one in a daring cantilever.

3. Staircase with parallel sections The most common solution, the one that saves the most space, the easiest to build, found in any block of flats, yet full of aesthetic potential when designed by a great architect.

4. Staircase with two angled flights The straight-line staircase is broken, usually due to lack of space or to adapt to a room layout. Sometimes, the two flights rest against the walls that enclose the space; other times, the flights stand isolated as large, autonomous sculptural objects.

5.  Staircase with multiple branches The staircase multiplies, branches out, and expands into a complex arrangement that suggests alternative paths or routes.

6. Imperial staircase The only multi-flight staircase that is absolutely symmetrical, both in plan and elevation, allowing the starting point to align vertically with the landing of the upper floor. A genuine Spanish contribution to the history of architecture.

7.  Samba staircase An ingenious and ancient solution for ascending a great height in very little space. It requires starting with the correct foot and a swaying motion that recalls the dance from which it takes its name.

8. Staircase in the air Throughout history, artists have envisioned staircases miraculously suspended in mid-air, and architects have tried to defy the law of gravity by using increasingly subtle materials. Steel and glass have allowed contemporary designers to come very close to this millennial dream.

9. Random staircase In most cases, this staircase with irregular steps is born out of the need to adapt to the topography of the land, but it can also reflect the designer’s desire to escape from a rigid geometry in favour of more organic, free-flowing shapes.

10. Curved staircase From the gently curved to the one that spirals upon itself; from the simple to the double or even triple. These staircases have allowed for the boldest design feats, from stonework to perspective representation, fierce duels between swordsmen, and the most spectacular descents by a dance troupe…

11. Staircase ascending to the heavens Recurring images that can be found both in a 1512 manuscript by Ramon Llull and in a modern-day animated film. Many staircases can symbolise the ascent to the heavens, but some truly aim to do so.

12. Staircase descending to the underworld The staircase that leads us to death and, most likely, to hell. Paralyzed individuals thrown into the void in their wheelchairs, men ascending to be stabbed... so many cinematic deaths at the foot of staircases.

13. Impossible staircases Those that we clearly recognise as staircases, yet we cannot ascend. The most unforgettable ones, for their bewildering impossibility (Escher), cannot be built-they can only be drawn.