VAJONT
"Nel ventre della balena": the reportage and the book
The reportage “Nel ventre della balena" (In the belly of the whale) includes 96 photographs taken on 35 mm black and white film and was born from my desire to know, remember and touch with my own hands what happened on October 9, 1963 at the Vajont dam.
It is not just an act of historical memory, but a profound reflection that pays homage to the victims, a testimony of struggle and rebirth for all those who lived through that criminal tragedy and saw their loved ones disappear, for all those who, day after day, rebuilt their lives, their community, their memory, for the younger generations and for every person who approaches the history of these places.
It is my gaze as a woman that touches and is touched by the sensitivity for small and intimate human things, for the greatness of the natural world so close and precious.
Each photograph is the result of intense documentation work, passion and intimate participation in the life and spirit that can be felt in these mountains on the border between Veneto and Friuli: the villages, the water, the stones, the objects, the landscapes, even marked by the passage of the catastrophe, reveal their timeless beauty. A beauty that emerges despite the pain, a strength that resides in the ability to start again, to always see the light even when everything seems lost. Nature becomes the silent guardian of suffering and redemption, of the traces left by people and everyday life.
It is precisely this spirit that shines through in the images to convey a sense of resistance, vitality, rootedness in the land and in memory. The photographs thus become a piece of living memory, a voice that celebrates the will to start again, full of light and shadow in a game of contrasts that symbolizes the dualism between pain and hope, between destruction and reconstruction.
From this rich and intense reportage emerges a poetics that is not afraid to look at the scars and listen to the pain and that, at the same time, takes life by the hand ready to get up and accompanies it towards rebirth. Rebirth, in fact, should not be measured only with physical reconstruction, but above all with the ability to stay alive inside, to not forget and to always look to the future with eyes full of courage.
“Nel ventre della balena” is then an embrace addressed to those who let themselves be guided with an open soul, image after image, to the discovery of the traces that invite knowledge and respect, to those who have made suffering a strength to look forward, and to those who grow up here today loving this beautiful land and cultivating a culture that, in addition to memory, is also a promise of the future.
The book consists of 102 pages, measures 12x12 in (30x30 cm) with a hard cover and is printed on quality paper Prophoto pearl. Each copy is numbered and signed.
Working on this reportage was an experience of profound involvement in every phase: the research and documentation, the journey and the encounter with the places and people, the choice of photos and the final story that was born from it.
I climbed the Vajont gorge and the mountains, touched the rock and the water, held the stones of the houses and many hands of the local inhabitants, listened and shared in the midst of such a grandiose and delicate, impressive and moving nature.
Each photo in this book is a story that wants to talk to everyone about rebirth and respect.
Browse the book
For optimal viewing, I recommend opening the book full screen by clicking on the icon with two arrows at the bottom right of the image.
The book "Nel ventre della balena" is independently printed and self-produced, which is why it is only available on request.
See the other Reportage
