IF YOU MEET HIM IT'S BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MEET YOU
Graduation project, KABK Royal Academy of Art The Hague, 2021
You are in South Tyrol, a northern Italian territory part of the region Trentino-South Tyrol, where I live. The search for the wolf in this landscape, whose presence is the subject of constant study and monitoring, becomes my way to tell what of this land of high peaks, low valleys and German, Italian and Ladin speaking, strikes me more: the use and generation of labels. This is a work about conversations with locals and about experiencing a surrounding. It is about gathering information and reinterpret them into visuals to build the image of who is the carrier of a stigma, the wolf. Between traces, voices and silence, welcome to my path in its search.
"You look for the prey and you'll see that the predator is not far from there. Go find the marmots, you'll see that you find the eagle", a wildlife technician told me.
"They used to say there was a wolf living here. Someone saw it, they said it was called Stärkerwolf", a mountain hut hotelier told me.
"You know, if wolves are two it is already a pack, they don't need to be six or seven", a hunter told me.
"As one wants the most beautiful girl I want the most beautiful wolf", a retired hunter told me.
"There is no place for the wolf here", a sheep breeder told me.
The search made me further discover the existence of several South Tyrolean location originally named with the prefix -WOLF. An animal carrier of distrust immediately transformed into a proof of local identity and historical belonging.
"Who is the wolf?" has always been my leading question and the more I was going on, the more it helped me to perceive and visualize the manifestation of a stigma around me.
"Be careful not to fall in the pit. You then do like the wolf", a forest guard told me.
"Sorry to ask you but why are you doing all this. Do you like problems?", a farmer told me.
A wildlife technician, a sheep breeder, the zookeeper of a natural park, a WWF member, a hunter and a forest guard became, so, people through which to collect pieces of an image that grew over time: the image of a stigma and its manifestation.
"Now you're going to dress up like a forest guard and I'm going to photograph you. Give me a Brazilian smile", a forest guard told me.
"Rather go for your ride. If you meet him it's because he wants to meet you", a wildlife technician told me.
Archival images in order of appearance:
1. Shepherd dog with toothed collar - Cloister of the Cathedral of Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol IT.
13. Hook for catching the wolf, Tyrol.
14. Brick wolf pit on Nördersberg near Schlanders, South Tyrol.
15. Medieval wolf tang with anchor in double sickle shape.
21. Photograph of wolf pit on Nördersberg near Schlanders, South Tyrol.
IF YOU MEET HIM IT'S BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MEET YOU
Graduation project, KABK The Hague, 2021
You are in South Tyrol, a northern Italian territory part of the region Trentino-South Tyrol, where I live. The search for the wolf in this landscape, whose presence is the subject of constant study and monitoring, becomes my way to tell what of this land of high peaks, low valleys and German, Italian and Ladin speaking, strikes me more: the use and generation of labels. This is a work about conversations with locals and about experiencing a surrounding. It is about gathering information and reinterpret them into visuals to build the image of who is the carrier of a stigma, the wolf. Between traces, voices and silence, welcome to my path in its search.
Shepherd dog with toothed collar, Cloister of the Cathedral of Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, IT
You look for the prey and you'll see that the predator is not far from there. Go find the marmots, you'll see that you find the eagle. A wildlife technician told me.
They used to say there was a wolf living here. Someone saw it, they said it was called Stärkerwolf. A mountain hut hotelier told me.
You know, if wolves are two it is already a pack, they don't need to be six or seven. A hunter told me.
As one wants the most beautiful girl I want the most beautiful wolf. A retired hunter told me.
There is no place for the wolf here. A sheep breeder told me.
The search made me further discover the existence of several South Tyrolean location originally named with the prefix -WOLF. An animal carrier of distrust immediately transformed into a proof of local identity and historical belonging.
"Who is the wolf?" has always been my leading question and the more I was going on, the more it helped me to perceive and visualize the manifestation of a stigma around me.
Be careful not to fall in the pit. You then do like the wolf. A forest guard told me.
Sorry to ask you but why are you doing all this. Do you like problems? A farmer told me.
A wildlife technician, a sheep breeder, the zookeeper of a natural park, a WWF member, a hunter and a forest guard became, so, people through which to collect pieces of an image that grew over time: the image of a stigma and its manifestation.
Now you're going to dress up like a forest guard and I'm going to photograph you. Give me a Brazilian smile. A forest guard told me.
Rather go for your ride. If you meet him it's because he wants to meet you. A wildlife technician told me.