Il futuro è già iniziato

"The Future Has Already Begun" explores the layered identity of the community of Ottana, in Central Sardinia, investigating the relationship between industrial heritage and tradition through a collective emotional perspective.

“…we came together, driven by the belief that today’s citizens—all citizens—cannot mortgage the fate of future generations out of inertia or fear. Action is needed, and urgently, because our future has already begun.”

Ottana is a small town in Central Sardinia, primarily known for the traditional masks of the Boes and Merdules, symbols of a strong cultural identity and the sense of belonging within the community, reinforced by the Carnival ritual and the generational transmission of its traditions.

Starting in the 1970s, it underwent massive industrialization imposed by the Italian state, in stark contrast to its pastoral economy and the community's deeply rooted traditional identity. Over fifty years, cyclical failures have profoundly shaped the collective memory and influenced the construction of today’s identity, as attempts were made to chart paths toward the future within a rural society. Today, new initiatives related to renewable energy are being introduced into the landscape, further redefining its meaning.

My research explores the process of identity reconfiguration within the community as a response to the failure of the industrial dream. It examines how this transformation connects to the commercialization of today’s Carnival and the growth of artisan activities linked to traditional masks.

The project investigates themes of tradition, memory, and the collective legacy of the industrial experience, bringing them into dialogue to reconstruct a sense of complex continuity. Through its tensions and contradictions, the work moves beyond the idea of an identity fracture, instead offering an image of stratification, where tradition and modernity coexist and intertwine.