© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Hi Davide, firstly, can you tell us where did you grow up? And how did you get into photography...
Davide Degano (DD): «I am Sicilian born and raised in the north-east of Italy, in Friuli, in a small country village that borders Slovenia, called Faedis (where my father was born and raised). Also, my grandmother is Colombian, from Cali. So let's say that these are the lands to which I am “sentimentally” linked; Sicily in particular, although I spent most of my childhood in the north, in Faedis. I grew up in the countryside as my grandparents, on my father's side, were farmers. I have only great memories of my upbringing as it was really simple and "in touch" with the surrounding landscape. At the same time, during my teenage years, I felt it as if it was a curse. In fact, the municipality where I grew up was not really well connected to the city, hence for me was really difficult to hang out and do the other things that my high-school peers were doing at the time. This friction between the environment that brought me up and I loved, and the curiosity to explore new realities that I thought could give me more in terms of opportunities, pushed me to leave the country once graduated from high school.»
Photography has always been one of my passions since I was a child. It was my "task" (together with my uncle) to immortalize family celebrations, such as birthdays, communions, confirmations, etc... As I grew up I got interested in what is called "street photography" or let's say the American photojournalist style, of the 80s and 70s. I was fascinated by artists such as Winegard, Vivian Maier, Walker Evans, Saul Leiter, and Gordon Parks. I was fascinated by the dramatic use of black and white and the methodology with which they told stories through images. But it was only when I left for Australia, where I lived for three years, that I turned this "hobby" into a profession. I started working as an assistant for various fashion photographers until I started getting the first requests. In a short time, I was able to create a small network that allowed me to support myself through photography. But it was only when I started my studies at KABK, from where I just graduated, that I understood the value of the photographic medium.
You gained experience as a photographer in Australia, but then you felt the need to further deepen your baggage, your understanding of photography. And you ended up at KABK. What environment did you find there?
DD: While before starting my studies at the Royal Academy of Art I thought about the role of the photojournalist as a simple witness to an event, I became increasingly aware, as I progressed in my studies, of the importance of a personal approach to the stories I wanted to tell to show their complexity. I understood the importance of long-term projects and gradually moved away from a photojournalism idea that rewards the shocking image of suffering or tragedy. I learned to slow down the "pace" with which I was shooting trying to understand the people I had in front of the camera, rather than taking a snapshot of "the appearance" of things. I learned to appreciate slower and more thoughtful ways of telling stories, stories that would show "life" in its complexity, moving away from the iconic images of "death" and "despair".
Overall I like to consider my “journey” in the artistic academic world positive, as I learned a lot from it, but at the same time heavily frustrated and disappointed by how the art-bubble works and operates, and of course art academies are a reflection of it. It took me a while to understand my teachers too. They are all great and well-known professionals, but I never had the feeling that they were my professors, in a sense that I could not create a bond that went beyond the lectures I was attending. It has never felt like “Oh I can count on them or I might ask for some extra tips” and that is a pity, but at the same time it makes you aware of certain dynamics within this world.
Let's talk about your thesis at KABK, a visual investigation that brought you back to your homelands, in the Friuli region, on the border with Slovenia, among those almost completely abandoned mountain villages where you grew up. In Italy.
DD: The project stems from my difficulties in acclimating to Dutch culture, especially in the first two years of the academy. I was not satisfied with the work I was doing in Holland, as I felt an entity alien to the landscape that surrounded me. Therefore, my work always stopped at the "surface" of things. One of the reasons I think was that I don't speak Dutch. Although almost everyone speaks English, people's perception of you is different if you can interact using the local language. Therefore I started to travel often to Italy, in Friuli, and I started to photograph places of my childhood. For a couple of years I spent several months in Italy producing, and the rest of the time in Holland reflecting on what I had produced.
In this project, I re-discover parts of my cultural heritage, portraying the different facets of the life of mountain villages in between the Italian and Slovenian borders. What I found in these mountain villages, was a community of survivors, a community of emigrants that imposed a self-exile after the World Wars and the earthquake of 1976, in order to chase that “wealth” promised by the upcoming industrialized cities.
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Archive materials: 1935, view of Canebola
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Archive materials: 1950s, peasants at work
'Beyond the Land of Castles' is an examination of the importance of “local” through memory, and how modern society neutralizes it in the name of globalization. I believe that is a universal story. It is a story of power, who has it and decides how development should look like, and who do not have it, and never will. In fact, societies took centuries to form, globalization took two decades to almost destroy them. As I explore the themes that most characterize this area, such as emigration and depopulation, I reflect on the importance of the values on which our personal and common memory are based upon in order to shake the assumptions that memories and past bring nostalgia not progress. I would also love to draw attention to these realities. Most of the times the media would get interested in these stories only if big corporations are involved. But I think that it is already really negative that certain cultures and traditions are about to disappear because of a lack of interest.
You told me about the need to relate to people, both because you love taking portraits but also to quest the meaning of your work. As if you were chasing a different attitude through photography. Your work reaffirms the importance of reconstructing memory. The online archive you built is good evidence of this approach. Tell us more...
DD: Maybe the answer "sounds" a bit obvious, but I am fascinated by the people and the stories they have to tell. With the people I portray, it all starts very spontaneously. I am sincerely motivated by the fact that I want to get to know something about the person in front of the camera, or at least, dig the "surface" of things a little. All my sessions are characterized by "dialogue" and a constant search for empathy with the subject. I shoot using mostly analog cameras (medium or large format) and it involves a lot of time in the preparation of the picture. In this way, I am also pushed to find some sort of connection. Furthermore, I like the fact that I cannot show the subject that I am actually shooting. The screen of a digital camera most of the time becomes the protagonist as the relationship moves from subject/photographer to subject/screen.
The idea to use archival material developed organically as my relationships with my subjects. I was often invited over to their houses for lunch, a coffee or to just spend some time. During our conversations, they would often mention my grandparents and started to show me old pictures of them and the places I was currently photographing. I immediately felt the need to collect all this material and use it in some ways as I found it a fundamental link between the past, present, and my "own" story. It made me also reflect on the role of photography in modern society and how the western world documented a lot of its development over the years but we never stop to reflect on the consequences that our “interventions” on the landscape have made.
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Archive materials: early 1900s, Piasentina stone quarry
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Your interest in this project goes far beyond photography, a final result, you are trying to trigger very interesting processes starting from your work, which intersect the room. You can briefly introduce us to your vision, and what are the reasons that push you to pursue it.
DD: Yes, correct. I am working on the production of a photo-book that aims to reach the houses of as many locals as possible. This is a way to give importance to their “stories” and the story and the transformations of the Friuli Venezia Giulia's landscape. But, I aim to push the project beyond the art-bubble and involve the Region itself to invest in the maintenance of these “borghi” (hamlets). The idea we had is to involve the Tourism sector to create guided tours of the area where the project is set. We wanted to organize an “open-air” exhibition and guide the people through mountain paths so that they could explore the area. We also wanted to involve the local businesses, not only to showcase their products but also to let them tell the stories behind what they produce. It is still all a “work in progress” but I am confident that we will be able to make it for the summer of 2021.
Of the 7 villages you explored, a couple is in Slovenia. This cross-border confrontation leads to a different awareness of what could be done in the now-forgotten mountain territories of Italy, often excluded from the economy ... Beyond the land of castles, which is also the title of this project. I read a need for convergence in knowledge, perhaps this is also a challenge to the modernity of vertical specializations. In this sense, the meeting with two teachers was important: Livia Raccanello and Stefano Grimaz who showed you a new potential as the case the reconstruction of the Cucagna castle as a model of cultural, historical, and memory regeneration.
DD: My collaboration with Livia and Stefano was great and fundamental for me as it helped me to give a direction to the project itself. I met them during my production time as they both live in the area. We soon felt comfortable with each other and when I talked to them about my project and ideas, they were interested in helping me out in some way or another. I wanted to correct myself by saying that Livia is not a professor but an anthropologist on her own and collaborates with the studio of architects of her father. She can probably explain better than me the idea behind the reconstruction of the Zucco Castles done by her father's studio, but it has to do with the idea of protecting the "local" and his focus its on the particular stone (Piasentina Stone) that you find in the area.
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
The thought behind these two collaborations is that I wanted to talk to an audience that goes beyond the artist world. The issues I am talking about are quite current and universal that I felt that many people could relate. That’s the reason why I asked them to write two essays where they address the topics from an anthropological point of view as well as scientific. They talk about the risk that we might face when cultures disappeared, in general terms not referring to the pictures of the book.
Your research also addresses the issue of fascism. How did you discuss the topic and what contradictions emerged?
DD: When working on my project 'Beyond the Land of Castles' I haven’t thought about the fascist era even tho it is part of the project itself. But, I would say, that it takes the same importance as the part where I talk about the pagan Christianity developed in these mountain villages. The idea to develop a work focus mainly on the consequences that the fascist era still has on our society in terms of education and culture is born by the interest I have in post-colonial studies, in particular the Italian case, that is never or almost mentioned. I would like to do a master's in post-colonial studies and create an Italian visual journey of this era, connecting the past with the consequences that it is having on the present. It is interesting to observe how all these projects are somehow connected. It goes back again to the idea of local in its broadest terms. It goes back to the idea to know the past you come from and reflect on it, to better position yourself in the present society. It goes back to the idea that culture and “arts” are popular not egalitarian or for a small group of people and that it needs to be preserved and transmitted, not forgotten in the name of some universal values that are not rooted in the landscape we come from.
Archive materials: 1945 Nazi troops set fire to the village of Faedis and other mountain villages
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Davide Degano from the series 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
Archive materials: 1945 group of fascists
You also have an idea of making a book of this project. What do you think in general of the photo book to promote your work?
DD: The idea to create a photo-book is at the base of this project. It took me years to properly understand what was the story about but at the same time, from the beginning, I knew that the final shape of Beyond the Land of Castles would have been a photo-book. There are two main reasons behind it: the most obvious one, I love photo-books. Then I believe that books are the best medium to tell stories, especially complicated and layered. I love the fact that during the process, I can have the freedom not only to take pictures but also to collect any type of material I come across, from letters, quotes, and personal documents to archival material. It all helps to render the story more interesting and appealing. The book also allows you to gather all these sources of information and put them together in a way that is complementary to each other. I also love the all process behind it that sometimes guides you towards a new story, that during the production phase you didn’t see or acknowledged. Finally, I think that the photo book is the best way to bring the story back to where it was born and in some ways, to fix it in time, without seeing it disappear as unfortunately, we do with many “local” realities.
© Dummy book 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Dummy book 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Dummy book 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Dummy book 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
© Dummy book 'Beyond the Land of Castles'
---
LINKS
share this page