Until The Sun and Moon Go Down

This body of work explores a richly layered microcosm that resists the pace and logic of a fast-moving, hyper-connected world. The remote island sets the stage for a reflection on the complex relationship between humans and the natural world.

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. Whisper of running streams, and winter lightning. (T.S. Eliot)

Landing on Alicudi brings the sensation of being pioneers in an unknown land, whose charm can seduce or instantly repel. With an area of 5.2 km², no roads or shops, a small number of inhabitants, its rocky nature, and the risk of being isolated for days due to bad weather, the island has earned a reputation over time as an extreme destination, in stark contrast to the dynamics of an increasingly fast-paced and interconnected world.

Alicudi only discovered electricity in the 1990s and continues to resist modernity, partly thanks to its unique location and layout. Developed almost exclusively vertically, its silhouette rises majestically like a fortress of times past, evoking at first glance the archetype of an island that encapsulates an essential dimension of life. However, living on Alicudi can take on various forms, embodying at once a lost paradise and an eclipse, exile and a return to origins, a hiding place, a blank slate, a kaleidoscope, or an abyss in which one can either lose or find oneself.

Beyond its status as a remote outpost, in the manifest and latent darkness, another layer of the island emerges, revealing a strongly dreamlike realm. A reality charged with suggestion comes to life, reflected in the deep connection with natural elements, the dense silences, and the proximity to the magical world and mythology of the Aeolian archipelago. Here, nature expresses its full power and freedom, a primordial living entity whose breath sets the rhythm of life and the flow of events.

The close interconnection between humans, nature, and the animal kingdom, and the delicate balance that characterises it, are central themes of this work, explored through the concept of symbiosis. The boundaries between different forms of matter begin to dissolve, giving way to mutual absorption that culminates in metamorphosis—an allegory of the inner changes that sometimes occur through a closer contact with the natural world. The narrative unfolds as an imaginary journey, an initiatory path through the facets and strong dualisms present in the vibrant macrocosm of this small island.

"Until the Sun and Moon Go Down" is an analog tale in which reality and fiction intertwine, a reflection on the ways of inhabiting the modern world that constantly opens up glimpses into the realm of night and dreams. The island, with its rugged nature only partially tamed by humans and its direct relationship with everything, invites one to play with perception and rediscover the hidden depths of the mind.