Project developed and realized under the guidance of Francesco Jodice at Fondazione Fotografia, Modena.
30 years later the revolutionary photographic book "Viaggio in Italia" by Luigi Ghirri, we tried to shed some new light on the Italian reality.
Project developed and realized under the guidance of Vincenzo Castella at Fondazione Fotografia, Modena.
It's a photographic investigation in the Emilia Romagna area hit by the 2012 earthquake.
The work of Paolo Valassi moves along the boundary between historical testimony and conceptual reflection. By utilizing unconventional visual sources—television broadcasts and digital cartography—his projects "Viaggio in Italia" (Journey through Italy) and "Indagine sulla realtà" (Investigation into Reality) offer an unprecedented mapping of the identity and the wounds of the Italian territory.
In this project, the "Journey through Italy" does not take place along the peninsula's physical roads, but through its television channels. Paolo Valassi explores how mass media has constructed, and at times distorted, the country's collective imagination.
The Electronic Landscape: Through freeze-frames and program schedule analysis, Valassi documents a "media geography" where the real Italy is replaced by a represented one.
Visual Sociology: A critical investigation into how TV has shaped national culture and aesthetics, transforming the physical territory into a purely mediated experience.
"Indagine sulla realtà" is a visual document of extraordinary civil and anthropological value regarding the earthquake-stricken areas of Emilia. Paolo Valassi uses Google Street View technology to compare the face of these towns before and after the 2012 seismic events.
Street-Level Memory: Utilizing Street View, the project allows viewers to virtually "walk" through the streets of municipalities such as Mirandola, Cavezzo, Finale Emilia, and San Felice sul Panaro, comparing pre-earthquake daily life with the subsequent rubble and structural shoring.
Archaeology of the Present: Valassi transforms a commercial navigation tool into a historical archive. The images document the loss of historic centers, local businesses, and rural Emilian architecture with surgical precision and deep emotional impact.
Territorial Document: A fundamental work for the collective memory of the provinces of Modena, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia, and Mantua, analyzing the fragility of the man-made landscape.
Paolo Valassi’s work questions the nature of "truth" in the digital age. By using sources such as television and virtual maps, the artist demonstrates that fine art photography can emerge from the reworking of existing imagery (found photography), transforming digital data into human and historical testimonies.
Language Innovation: Deep experimentation with new media and digital found photography.
Social and Civil Value: A unique archive of the cultural transformations and natural disasters that have marked recent Italian history.
Local & Territorial Context: A point of reference for photography festivals and exhibitions in Emilia-Romagna, as well as for those involved in urban regeneration and historical memory.