Interview about WoodBergs Nature, winner of the A' Photography and Photo Manipulation Design Award 2021
These images represent details of sections of trees felled to be transformed into something else. The use of negative inversion and direct printing on aluminum enhance the colors and the concept of destruction of our planet. The artist is inspired by artistic photography and environmental rights, transforming details of nature and flora: photographic technique and rights merge into surreal images to lead the viewer to reflect on what can be done to safeguard the planet. A better world is possible, it also depends on you.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsWoodBerg was one of the final projects in a series focused on the environment, all encompassed within the broader concept of Mother&Land. The inversion of colors carries a profound message—a passage from life to death. Awareness of the possible end of Planet Earth can only urge us to do more to prevent it, each in our own way. For me, this is expressed through photography.
Every exhibition requires its own unique setup. In the case of WoodBerg, wood—which is naturally warm—becomes cold through color inversion. To enhance this effect, I considered glossy paper, aluminum, and E6 photographic paper. The latter, however, proved too cold and too dark for some images, so I opted for direct printing on aluminum. The colors appear softer, and the tonalities are clearer, emphasizing the concept of forest destruction while marking a very specific moment.
The WoodBergs project was born in a woodworking shop: seeing so many felled trees moved me deeply to create something about destruction and transformation. The use of color inversion from positive to negative—already employed in my environmental projects starting with FireBerg—made my task easier, as I was already familiar with an effective visual language. Later, I “rediscovered” many other images I had taken on the subject, as if I only needed to bring them together. It is clear that in my photography, the desire to convey environmental concern has always been strong.
In the case of this image, the use of a smartphone was incidental, simply because I happened to be in the woodworking shop without my camera. I still used the Pro mode, which is like a smartphone RAW format.The use of smartphones (as in the case of FireBerg) can be part of research or, in extreme cases like this one, the only way to seize an opportunity. In general, I try to avoid it, but if the goal is to convey my message, it works.
Images not only need a proper display, but, in my view, also a title.Since I was exploring Nature in its most literal sense, I decided to give the series the names of the seasons, linking the five elements to the annual cycle of life. If the seasons represent a process of transformation, the use of negatives freezes this process at a single moment of destruction.
When I worked on my first FireBerg project, I realized that I would need to focus on the four elements of Nature. However, as I worked on subsequent projects, I felt that these elements did not encompass all environmental rights. So I conducted various researches and readings and arrived at the five elements of Eastern philosophy, integrating wood and thus “flora.”
Through beauty, I engage the audience in asking questions. Cold wood leaves the viewer in a state of mixed confusion. This allows the observer to delve deeper into their interpretation of the image, to explore their emotions, sensations, and experiences, and thus move beyond beauty itself. The “warmth” that becomes “cold” is one of the most tragic human experiences.
Winning the A’Design Award was a significant achievement, and as such, it must be surpassed through the consistency of my work, creativity, and dedication. The structure of the A’Design Award is very rigorous, but also highly constructive for the artist, supporting their reputation and growth. Through communication and distribution to other members in different countries, it not only increases awareness of the artist but, most importantly, of their message and the creativity with which they convey it.
Size is another detail that contributes to the exhibition process. I believe that the greater and deeper the concept or message, the larger the dimensions needed to convey it, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves—especially emotionally—so as to reach a reflection that we all recognize intellectually, but less so on an emotional level.
Beyond the visual language I use—not always involving inversion from negative to positive, sometimes simply positive for some of the projects that make up Mother&Land—I have realized that ever since I began photographing, in many places around the world and in countless details, I already carried this environmental concept within me, reflected in all my shots and in the search for new ones. Every time I travel, I carry a perspective attuned to all ongoing projects. Every time I review my images, I draw on my experience to develop the visual language to its fullest potential.
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