These Dark Mountains Posted On 12th July 2022 To Magazine & Stories
These Dark Mountains
I grew up in a small valley town surrounded by the Alps in North Italy. I have always wondered what it feels like to live and work up there in the mountains, in such a stunning but also dangerous and rough natural environment. Especially after moving to Berlin in 2015, my fascination for a life still tied to nature’s rhythm started to grow. The natural landscape which I left behind, and which used to be what I would call “home”, turned into something distant. I began to question the reasons for my choice to leave and the reasons of those who decided to stay.
Alpine Farmers
‘These Dark Mountains’ captures the lives of people working in the Italian Alps. The project took place during the traditional pasture season. This is when alpine farmers move with their livestock from their permanent settlements in the valleys to temporary settlements in the mountains. This ancient practice, which created one of the most species-rich and diverse landscapes in Europe, is now increasingly threatened by factors such as abandonment and climate change.
Sustain Life At Nature's Fragile Edge
Photography allowed me to explore the realities of alpine pastures beyond their physical allure and document the ruthless solitude and extraordinary labor required to sustain life at nature's fragile edge. In a place where the cycle of life and death is present from dawn to dusk. In a series combining the strange and nostalgic look at a life that I might never live. I wanted to question the act of escaping from contemporary society and the myths and hopes built around nature.
Nature's Fragile Edge
Photography allowed me to explore the realities of alpine pastures beyond their physical allure and document the ruthless solitude and extraordinary labor required to sustain life at nature's fragile edge. In a place where the cycle of life and death is present from dawn to dusk. In a series combining the strange and nostalgic look at a life that I might never live. I wanted to question the act of escaping from contemporary society and the myths and hopes built around nature.
The Narrative
Shooting on black and white film is an essential part my practice. It allows me to focus on the narrative, the human and the interior depth of what I’m photographing. The absence of color enables me to unfold my poetic imagination and accomplish a deeper sense of stillness and timelessness in my images. My project “These Dark Mountains” was shot entirely with a Mamiya RB67 Pro S on ILFORD Hp5. I processed myself using Kodak Xtol developer. This film-developer combination allowed me to shoot with the flexibility of a 400 ISO film stock, while still giving me the soft tones and fine-grain images that I was looking for. Using black and white film also allowed me to distance myself from the stereotypical portrayal of the idyllic green pasture.
The Photo Book
There is currently a crowdfunding campaign running in collaboration with the independent publisher SelfSelf. This is to help me release the photo book of “These Dark Mountains”. All the money raised from the campaign will be used to cover the publishing & printing costs for the book. There is time until July 15th to pre-order the book and help me bring this very meaningful personal project to life. Follow this link to find out more about the campaign, to share it and to support it.
[https://selfselfbooks.com/en/ prodotto/campaign/giulia-degasperi-en/these-dark-mountains/] Thank you!
About The Author
Giulia Degasperi
Giulia Degasperi (b. 1992, Trento) is a communication designer and photographer based in Berlin. In 2015 she completed her bachelor degree in Modern Languages and Literature at the University of Trento and moved to Berlin right after. In 2016 she discovered her passion for analogue photography and started a new Bachelor in Visual Communication at the HTW Berlin. With the photography series “These Dark Mountains” she successfully concluded her studies in November 2020.
Working in a documentary manner across subject matter, Giulia is primarily exploring themes such as the dynamic human-nature relationship and the intersection of geopolitical issues with social, historical, and philosophical matters. The key of her documentary projects is engaging actively with the subjects – dignifying their existence and incorporating their input into the narrative. Photography is her tool to unveil the profound structures of the human experience and to identify and challenge the prejudices of our present day society.