The Fall by Giulia Mangione at Fotografiens Hus

In The Fall, Giulia Mangione reflects on society's collective fears, both imagined and irrational, as well as real and rational.

Overview

The project explores themes such as the end times and apocalyptic myths, providing a deeper insight into how these affect our perception of the world.

“I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck. The hail barrel rests between the driver and me, and around us the grass has yellowed in the dry heat. Scattered across the fields, the bunkers emerge from the ground with spacious pockets underground. I'm alive and you're dead, I think, as I drive past the world's largest survival community.”

Diary entry September 5, 2022. Edgemont, South Dakota, USA.

Theories about the end of the world are deeply rooted in many cultures. Oslo-based Italian photographer Giulia Mangione has embarked on a photographic road trip towards the end of the world. Her journey stretches from the Greek island of Patmos, where John's revelation about the end of the world was written down, via La Palma in the Canary Islands, and on through the USA and southern Italy.

Mangione has visited survivors, doomsday preppers, religious sects and people living in bunkers. She is particularly interested in the importance of belonging, and how fellowship with others can provide a sense of security against what one fears. Through interviews, portraits, field recordings and diary entries, she tells stories of people preparing for potentially catastrophic events, whether natural disasters or other types of crises, and of our greatest fear: the unknown.

The project is supported by Norske Fagfotografers Fond, and it is part of the Norwegian Journal of Photography, which is supported by Fritt Ord.