The place is full of stimuli, full of void, full of history, an all-Italian history, big ideas, destroyed by profits, by a different reality, the transformation of a social idea in a private reality, the whole that has become a retirement in the singular. [...]. Right now there in Borca two opposing relities are meeting, on one side the old, original, “mountain-dwelling” one, on the other the new one, the one of the “occupants”. Yesterday, Stefania, after having seen the film about the Village, has said that perhaps the only mistake of the project has been that of not having involved the inhabitants of Borca enough. Maybe that could be a possible approach for the future?
What remains is architecture, as monument, almost a burden, but a possibility as well, we hope. Not to completely destroy Mattei’s initial idea, I believe it’s necessary to find a usage for the compound that may have a social value for the old Colonia (Eng.: summer camp building). For example: an international school of Italian cookery, a regional centre for the training of young people in that branch, involving the surrounding communities. Longarone’s ice cream makers could open a school of their trade, perhaps an institute for food research might find space there, and many other possibilities certainly come to mind in time. There could be a conference centre, an educational cookery hub, maybe even a restaurant, the dorm rooms could be partly transformed into hotel rooms, and partly in didactic spaces.
But these are just ideas, thrown out there…
My work, instead, concentrates in two directions:
1) Architectural details, perhaps with an influence from nature, that I see as a commentary, a personal interpretation of Mttei’s and Gellner’s intentions, finding a link to the current situation, with all the emptiness and abandon.
2) Portraits of teenagers, whom find themselves inside an age in which they’re about to explode, nobody knows in which direction. Until now I’ve photographed only boys and girls from the camping, which is handled by a parish association, but I can imagine the involvement of other youngsters of the village of Borca, perhaps even some from the cottages. Through such portraits I’m trying to link the content of the old ideas with the current situation and the hope for the future.
