A new observatory on photography is born in Bologna: it is Foto/Territorio.

Foto/Territorio was born in Bologna: an observatory and experimental space that promotes photography as a tool for investigating territories and communities. Conceived by the Da.a. association, the project aims to nurture, through the photographic lens, a collective gaze that is attentive and aware of the changes taking place in society and the landscape. In an age of frenetic transformation, the snapshot requires critical thinking and converts it into a space for common reflection with an accessible language, also capable of nurturing archives for shared memory. Kicking off the activities of Foto/Territorio is the cycle of talks OLTRE/Dialogo tra fotografia, territorio, comunità, organized curated by Da.a. and Foto/Territorio with the contribution of the Municipality of Bologna | Settore Cultura e Creatività, held on Nov. 16 and 17, 2024, in the Serra Madre - Le Serre, Giardini Margherita. Among the guests: Giovanna Calvenzi, distinguished photo editor, former director of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in Arles, guest curator of Photo Espana in Madrid and head of the archive of her husband Gabriele Basilico; photographers and artists Martina Caneve, Alessandro Imbriaco, Allegra Martin and Paola de Pietri; curator Elena Di Gioia; and Caterina Molteni, curator of MAMbo - Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna. The speakers will discuss the relationship between photography, communities and territories, the importance of archives, the role of artist residencies, and some recent photographic projects. There will be no shortage of insights related to the publishing industry, thanks in part to the participation of Leporello photobooks et al.

With OLTRE/ kicks off the path of Foto/Territorio, which in the coming years intends to develop into a larger project. The aim is to explore some areas of the city of Bologna, through the eyes of established photographers, authors of site-specific works and, at the same time, teachers of young photographers invited, through a call, to interpret the same territory. The outcomes of the project will flow into an exhibition in Bologna, which will present the personal works of each artist along with the best shots of the workshop participants. With its 55 municipalities, the metropolitan city of Bologna is a mosaic of extremely diverse morphological, historical, social and cultural contexts: industrial areas, areas with an agricultural vocation, plains, hills, Apennines and, at the center, the urban influence of the capital of Emilia-Romagna. The project was created by a multidisciplinary team: Pierluigi Molteni, architect and lecturer, Luca Capuano, photographer and lecturer, Azzurra Immediato, art historian and curator, Piero Orlandi, architect and curator, Alessandro Zanini, photographer, curator and anthropologist, with the collaboration of NOS Visual Arts Production.

“Foto/Territorio wants to make Bologna a point of reference, lacking to date, for photographic research and experimentation on the landscape and to create a replicable model of investigation, narrative and experience of the territory,” explains architect Pierluigi Molteni, president of the Da.a. association.

Practical information

OLTRE/Dialogue between photography, territory, community

Hours: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Free and free admission

A new observatory on photography is born in Bologna: it is Foto/Territorio.

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.