© Elisa Maria Dainelli

Talking about the Elsa River means many things. It runs for a good 63 km from the Montagnola Senese, in Tuscany, to the provinces of Florence and Pisa, where it flows into the Arno. Many countries overlook its banks, and the local industry still exploits the waters for their purposes. This river, therefore, varies from place to place, assuming the characteristics of the territory it crosses. At its origins, near the sources of the so-called "Elsa viva," runs a magnificent river park while, as its course continues, the contest turns into an urban environment. The river identifies the territories it crosses, the Val d'Elsa, and the bearer of material and symbolic wealth.

© Rebecca Dyer Szabo 

© Backstage &lsa Workshop 2021

&lsa Workshop was therefore born as a need. As a photographer and anthropologist, I got involved by photographer Andrea Buzzichelli (who published the book 'Inhabitants' with Urbanautica back in 2017) in supporting him in a tutoring and experimentation project that had this river as its theme. In May 2021, we began to narrate this watercourse in all its aspects. The goal was to build an archive: historical documentation and evidence of its value. Thanks to the association "Il Giardino dei colori" and the help of photographer Stefano Parrini, all of this has been possible. We ventured into a laboratory where our tutoring allowed the students to learn how to structure, build and think a story through images. We thought about photography as a chance for free and spontaneous expression for the participants. Not an easy task if we consider how much influence plays technique in general in this medium.

© Nicola Bochicchio

© Backstage &lsa Workshop, 2021

© Anna Maria Angelici

We discovered together that photography is not just one language but many. The river we were going to observe could be declined in thousands of narratives and points of view. The territories to be investigated were also infinite. The richness of multiplicity was the center from which the whole path originated. Each student developed their idea, followed by portfolio construction and editing. Finally, after carefully structuring the work, the workshop participants created their installation, a significant moment of restitution to the community with two exhibitions so far.

Installation view at LaGorà, Colle Val d'Elsa

This last phase of sharing the project with the citizens has made the communicative value of photography even clearer, its narrative strength, and allowing a synergy between artistic expression and scientific investigation. The cultural association LaGorà, of Colle Val d’Elsa, which hosted the second edition of the exhibition, took this opportunity to launch an environmental monitoring project of the Elsa river. A virtuous circle involving the Elsa Viva Civic Committee aims to raise civic awareness through the artistic interpretation of the land and territories.

© Sara Lugarini

This first experience, others will follow, was an important test for curators and the cohesion of a photographically very heterogeneous group. The initial difficulties arose right in the heart of the design and mastery of the photographic medium, not all had the same ability. If, on the one hand, freedom of expression was fundamental to the structuring of the works, on the other, some students required more attention on the technical side. Not bad, given the cohesion of the group and the ability of the participants to adapt. The desire to have fun and build something in serenity has led the group to remain steadfast even after the end of the workshop. The two exhibitions have provided further fuel to cohesion, together with dinners and aperitifs.