Parallel eyes

In between 1950 and 1960 South Italy, the place I am coming from, it was studied, classified, judged by a group of anthropologists, filmmakers and photographers. The idea of “la questione Meridionale”, “the south Italian issue” born at that precise moment: while Italy was pushing to be an example of modern and technologic country, the way of living of South Italy, the rituals and traditions were considered intolerant for economic and social reasons.

The result of a process started by Ernesto De Martino at that time is the conviction of our culture as a subculture, backward, ignorant and completely dominated by the irrationality and religion.

“Parallel Eyes” is my personal research about the culture I belong: my aim is to build a “parallel gaze” to open to a more complex analyses South Italian culture and to re-consider in visual, historical and sociological terms the construction of identity of a culture.

I started a complex process that include 2 bodies of work: one consists in the manipulation of archive materials produced in the ’50 and ’60 by the photographers and videomakers of the “spedizioni scientifiche” of De Martino with to use different photographic technique like digital and analog manipulation, painting of negatives etc. On the other size I am working on documenting the rituals still existing in South Italy. I introduce back in the images the magical-ritual aspect that in the past has been deleted by the scientific approach of the photographers.