“Behind the Man: Mimmo Lucano” is a very important and dear project to me. Not only because it is about my hometown, Calabria, but because it is about one man against all odds, who fights for humanity and life.
This is a short documentary style video on the person of Domenico Lucano (known as Mimmo), who has been seen at the center of various political disputes related to Riace (RC) and to the “Villaggio Globale” (Global Village) he has created in Calabria (IT). He established a proper model structure to welcome immigrants, leading to the coexistence of different cultures.
The intent of this small audio-visual piece was to convey a part of Mimmo’s story, who has always lived with compassion and empathy, believing in a possible and more human world. It was recorded on February 2020 in collaboration with Qisetna: Talking Syria, a NGO based in London.
Created, edited and produced by Giorgiana Pallamara.
Music by Francesco Loccisano.
To read more about Mimmo Lucano, click here.
KOINÈ Nuove Edizioni is a publishing house based in Rome. I was commissioned to photograph and post produce two images as book covers.
La Donna della Panchina by Marcello Vitale
Colmare by Giulia Mariottini
Traces
“Traces” is a project that shows the familiar landscape of the sea becoming a symbol of desperation and hope at the same time, conveying an uncanny feeling through contrasting and conceptual visual elements. These compositions engage with current events in my hometown, Calabria, which continues to witness significant immigration and its legacy. The title “Traces” refers to the ones left by someone, somehow: by saying a word with indifference or referring to a decision taken based on other people’s reassurances. Through my experience I wanted to document what happens at a more intimate and hidden level, the one of communication. These tableaux connect facets of reality across multiple media.
“Traces” was awarded a Photomonitor commendation.
To read more about the project, follow the link.
Panoptes
Working in collaboration with REMLA (Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive) in Gillingham, Kent, I had the opportunity to touch with hand what I have been studying on history books. The pictures of this series are from their archive of the Great War, more precisely the Battle of the Somme. I had the opportunity to elaborate a project with these images through my own perspective. Taking as a start point George Orwell’s quote “The Big Brother is Watching You”, my intention was to create something cynical and ironical at the same time, knowing that we are always under surveillance and “watched”. As in Orwell’s book 1984, we don’t know who this figurehead is: we just know that the Big Brother is there, watching us and maybe also having fun.
I wanted to convey a part of history in a different way, giving the pictures a new meaning through digital manipulation.
Giorgiana Pallamara 