During my trip to New York a few months ago, I started collecting scraps of newspapers and magazines and drew my interpretation of what I read. The choice of articles came natural: it was mainly articles that distorted a topic completely, that presented human beings as objects or that simply made me shiver in awkwardness.

Along these lines, some time before the trip to New York and the commencement of my newspaper tradition, I started thinking about what it is that makes me passionate about the world as it is described, the reporting of our world by the so-called journalists. I grew up in a relatively normal family, with a mother who made me very attentive to the world outside, sometimes instilling fears and phobias that are not necessarily justified by the “threat”. She however is not entirely to blame. It was sufficient for me to grow up and start reading the papers and watching television, to develop my own series of convictions and distorted perceptions of reality. Not having the instruments to take all that you hear and see with some perspective can make you a very fearful and disconnected person.

It is very difficult to approach this topic without oversimplifying on the opposite side. Yes, there are things we should be careful about, yes excessive “positive thinking” is just as dangerous. But on the other hand, the blame game that goes on and is mainly directed at the “potential victims” is something that is rarely criticized. We all accept and justify that messages such as “it’s stupid to wonder the streets alone drunk at night” because they apparently say nothing shocking or particularly difficult. The other side is that instead of taking this approach to both sides, that is also to the perpetrator and not only to the victim, we tend to place an enormous amount of pressure and covert blame on the victim.

I also see this as one of the issues that make it so easy nowadays to shut down complaints: the world is a dangerous place, you know it, you knew it, you are supposed to know it but behaved in a reckless manner so don’t you come complain to me now that something happened to you, that you are afraid that something might happen to you and feel that somehow this fear is eating you inside and maybe it shouldn’t, that you are shutting down and locking yourself in your home.

This a polaroid from this afternoon, it’s a view of the ground floor of the gallery. It’s all finished now as all the photos are ready and are graciously hanging on the walls.

And a view of the upper floor of the gallery (this photo is not there anymore, but you get the idea).

This, on the other hand, is a the view on the poster, outside of the arts center where the gallery is. (Yes, I know, the photo is blurry).

You wonder what when and how? Come to the vernissage, today (literally speaking).
You can find the invitation here, the directions to the gallery here and the official announcement here.
So, see you tonight!

It’s been a crazy week. Preparing for an exhibition is never easy and preparing for it and at the same time managing its “marketing” aspects (flyers, posters and what not) is incredibly stressful. I am saying nothing new here I am sure.

And whenever you are involved in such a preparation, so many things go wrong and so many things that you told yourself should never be done at the last minute, end up being done at the very last minute. I am not so sure whether these problems could entirely be avoided, but oh well, I promise myself to learn and improve each time around.

So, tomorrow, Monday, the flyer campaign will start (try to picture me transporting 3000 flyers to the agency), the last minute things will be dealt with, I will check on the status of my prints with the lab and I will hopefully be fully satisfied.

In all this, I am trying to have a relaxing weekend but I somehow ended up writing this blog post and scanning some more photos, completely unrelated to the project.

As you know, the project led me to travel to different countries, one of them being Switzerland, Geneva to be exact.
It was weird to be back to the city, to a place that has offered me so much, yet made me a more cynical person that I was when I first arrived.
On the way to the airport, after the shooting and after I had said goodbye to my dearest friend B., I said my very personal “à bientôt” to Geneva.
I do take my work seriously, but I try to limit the extent to which I do, simply because all the ideas that go into a picture, into the act of facing the subject and releasing the shutter, are sometimes extremely simple. In this case, I was trying not to think about how much I will miss B., my mixed feelings towards the city of Geneva (I miss it, yet, don’t crave for it) and I was trying to mask and tame my anxiety for the next shooting and the project coming to the end.
Arriving in Geneva for the shooting has been much like coming home but to a home that is distant and faded. I felt grounded and comfortable when dining with my friends, even when there is so much to be said, so many issues to be faced, one of them being that we have all changed to become people who are not as naturally bound to get along as before. Yet, call it my simple desire to have some sort of social exchanges, I missed them.
In the end, the honest thing to be said here is that I miss my university years, despite the stress and the lack of time, despite the drama. It’s not a very interesting take on my trip to Geneva, but it is what it is.

This poor blog has been neglected in the last couple of weeks months not because I went on a long holiday and finally figured out all I want is to live on a deserted island and sell cocktails. Quite to the contrary, the project has kept me extremely busy.

“Structurally recyclable, basically disposable” has been to France, Italy, Switzerland and is now, literally now, in the United Kingdom to take the very last photographs. It has travelled a little bit through Germany and it’s currently getting ready for the first exhibition. Although participation is obviously closed as of now, you can still share your experience, as I am trying to collect them and present them in some form of publication or something along those lines.

I have to say it is always somewhat a relief when a project that lasted so long and which required so much time and energy comes to an end. However, it has really been a journey in a world I only thought I knew.
The striking thing has been meeting and talking to many interns or ex-interns and getting the feeling that critical thinking towards internships in general is not lacking at all. Free work is not generally accepted as necessary, nor it is true that we all comply to the rules without questioning them. The problem remains somewhat the lack of choice, because this is an issue that has not got the necessary attention and has not benefitted from the necessary in-depth analysis, outside of the obvious and stereotyped portraits of interns that the media delivers.
Internships are more and more to me the first step in a generally precarious professional life. The majority of the participants, ex-interns, are in a very precarious situation, and do not exclude that they will have to go through another internship in the future. This is also valid in case they decide to switch to another type of career, even when it’s something closely related to what they are already doing. So “structurally recyclable, basically disposable” takes on a broader meaning, in that this replaceability is valid inter-sectors.

Let me also announce, with great pride, the dates of the first exhibition which will take place in Berlin, at the ACUD Galerie, in the Veteranenstr. 21 (click here for google maps). The exhibition will run from the 5th to the 26th of March. Opening times: 14.00 to 20.00 everyday except Monday.
The vernissage will be on the 5th of March, from 20h00 (8 pm). Come and enjoy something to eat and to drink with me.

I would also like to thank all of those who have helped out during this long journey, being from helping me find a cheap space to shoot in, hosting me and generally giving a hand. A very special thanks goes to Christian Burtchen, without whom I would have never made it.
And, last but not least, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the foundation that is sponsoring this project, Stiftung Menschenwürde und Arbeitswelt.

(Further dates and details for the other exhibitions will come soon!)

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the opening of an exhibition where some of my works were featured. The vernissage was very nice, I had a good time trying to escape to the upper part of the gallery where the heating was on. The trick was to greet friends and acquaintances as quickly as possible, though nicely, and then suggest we meet upstairs “where the rest of the exhibition is”.

I was very happy about how the different pieces were put together, thanks to the curator. It somehow all appeared to make sense, even when the styles and media were so different. I was particularly proud to have that beautiful spot on the right wall upstairs, with a very flattering light illuminating one of the pieces (see photo below).

All in all it was a good time, even the preparation, though there has been a glitch with the catalogues (sometimes I wonder whether printing facilities contemplate teaching people what too much magenta means). A lesson learned for me. The greatest part was seeing so many familiar faces at the opening. Thanks to all of the friends who came to show their support.

On another note, I worked up the courage to pick up my pastels and try out some new things. This, for example, is “Nature and man”, a mix of pastels and painted-on fabric, on my current theme “Parallel lines”.

I even got some watercolors yesterday though I haven’t been able to sit down with them yet. When I was little I used to play a lot with watercolors, but then growing up I somehow stopped using them. Oh well, it’s never too late.

Last but not least, I managed to draw a pattern for myself to make a tunica dress. The measuring, designing and drawing didn’t take too much time (I learned with this book), however I was very busy and couldn’t find the time to actually sew it all together. I eventually found the time a couple of days ago and I will be doing finishing touches today. I will incorporate some embroidery (crewel, that is) and then show it off.

Tags: drawings, exhibition, fabric, pastels, sewing
]]> http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/29/988/feed/ 0 http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/11/reminder-group-exhibition-works-berlin/ http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/11/reminder-group-exhibition-works-berlin/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:01:17 +0000 admin http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/?p=972 The group exhibition “Works: Kleine arbeiten – aktuelle europäische Positionen” will open on Sunday, 13th December 2009, at the ACUD Kunstverein on the Veteranenstraße 21, 10119 Berlin-Mitte.
The exhibition will be on until the 20th of December 2009.
I’ll cite the description to give you an idea of what the exhibition is trying to achieve

Works will alles. Works will verführen, Works will irritieren, Works will Lust machen, Works will sich hingeben – und Works will sich verweigern. Hier hängt eine Collage neben einer Fotografie neben einer Zeichnung neben einem Druck – alles kleinteilig, manchmal gegensätzlich, manchmal desillusionierend, manchmal lustvoll im Dialog aufeinander bezogen.

The vernissage starts at 5 pm.

Inspired by my current readings, I leave you with a small set of polaroids.
“Shadow: the effect of an event”

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Tags: berlin, polaroid
]]> http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/11/reminder-group-exhibition-works-berlin/feed/ 2 http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/some-changes-ahead-and-an-exhibition-announcement/ http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/some-changes-ahead-and-an-exhibition-announcement/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:38:36 +0000 admin http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/?p=949

I have decided I will make some major changes to the website, especially the portfolio sections. Chances are I will change a couple of times more in the future.

On the other hand, you (especially the readers currently in Berlin) are all invited to a group exhibition, “Works -aktuelle europäische Positionen” where will be featured some of my works too, at the ACUD gallery. The exhibition/art fair runs from the 13th to the 20th.
Opening is on the 13th, a Sunday, starting at 17h00 (event page on Facebook).

No tags for this post.]]> http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/some-changes-ahead-and-an-exhibition-announcement/feed/ 0 http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/budget-cuts-and-double-standards/ http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/budget-cuts-and-double-standards/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:00:42 +0000 admin http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/?p=942

“Unfair and unbelievable!” are the words I have used the most today, along with the display of a sorry face. I know times are tough for everyone, I know times have always been tough in the arts an culture scene in general, but sometimes I still manage to be unpleasantly surprised.
The Weinmeisterhaus, the culture centre for children and young people in the Weinmeisterstraße 15 in Berlin Mitte will be sold. The house has a long history dating back to 100 years, but it is since the end of the 1990s a centre for cultural education of children and young people.
Besides workshops (ranging from dance, theatre, music, photography, video to clothing design), there are also “open” spaces, such as the darkroom and a “white room” (equipped with top of the line scanning and digital manipulation equipment). All is for free, in a very pleasant and inspiring environment.
I haven’t been living in Berlin for a very long time and I don’t get to go to the dark room as often as I’d like, but I have spent some time there. It’s not too common to see so many young people coming to the dark room to work on their pictures, and it is priceless to be able to work in a relaxed environment.

Not to mention that, from my own perspective, it is very hard to find free (or almost) public dark rooms in Berlin. There are a couple of labs, that however charge insane prices per hour. Hardly any photographer I know could afford that. Yes, being a poor artist is an annoying stereotype.

Why would the district parliament close down such a great facility? To be short, it has to do with major cuts that the authorities are going to implement (in line with the federal government’s (stupid) policy in a time of financial recession). The Weinmeisterhaus is only one of the numerous examples of cultural or art centers that will be hit by the budget cuts in Berlin, and thus will have to close down.

If a space like the Weinmeisterhaus is not deemed worth saving, if a space like that, where creativity and curiosity are encouraged, where cultural programs are successfully carried out by a group of dedicated people, why is anything else worth saving? It might sound like an extreme question. But really it is not.

Tags: berlin, mitte, weinmeisterhaus
]]> http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/12/04/budget-cuts-and-double-standards/feed/ 2 http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/11/23/23rd-november-2009/ http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/11/23/23rd-november-2009/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:48:46 +0000 admin http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/?p=935 Today I recalled how we all are only guests on this planet.

Tags: berlin, lights, polaroid
]]> http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/11/23/23rd-november-2009/feed/ 1 http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/11/20/november-november/ http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/2009/11/20/november-november/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:26 +0000 admin http://www.elisabettalombardo.com/?p=930 November in Berlin.
This has been a month of reading, patient silence and not so patient attempt to get ahead of my desire to “know things”.
I have put my Holga to work and focused my attention on what I believe is my source of inspiration at the moment: the immediate and near world. I am not the kind of person who would sit there and say “look how beautiful nature is”, as it is, to me, a self-evident reality that most of the natural world is indeed beautiful.

Yet, even the most beautiful things are altered, fenced and restricted by our actions and made to serve some kind of “aesthetic” purpose. Much like doing something completely out of the blue, following pure instinct, and then providing it with some kind of theoretical explanation to justify this action to ourselves.
Much like the construction of identity, which represents nothing more than a series of coincidences and random selections of elements, then stapled together to give birth to a semi-consistent (but never rational, nor void of contradictions) system. A system that will be repeated, altered in time and sold to be the basics of how we live, of how we were, of how we should be. Total fiction.

(Click on one photo to see the gallery)

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Tags: berlin, space
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