hic sunt leones
2023175 PICTURES
BOOK, CIRCA 360 PAGES
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Hic Sunt Leones is a photographic project by the artist Gabriele Spalluto. The project, developed and realised over the course of one year (between March 2022 and March 2023) revolves around national borders and the relationship one has to them. During the project, the artist documented 175 (road) borders crossings that still have a service office. This collection of images - always taken from the same point of view, i.e. showing the last metres of Swiss soil the eventual customs building and then the first metres of foreign soil (which, due to the perspective, appear smaller) - serves as a historical document but also as a suggestion for the initiation of a deeper discussion about the value of borders, both from a more symbolic and a more practical side.
The 175 images thus immortalise both the crossings where the larg- est and most heavily manned are present, but also small mountain passes, where there is nothing more than a sign or a flag to remind us of the border crossing. Two places at odds visually, but formally fulfilling the same function. What do we feel when confronted with such images? What relationship and considerations do such places bring, knowing their value?
While ‘Hic Sunt Leones’ is thus a project that speaks of a political theme, it is also a collection of postcards from unusual locations in Switzerland.
The project takes the form of a book with more than 350 pages.
Transitions
2017HD VIDEO, 24:31 MIN, COLOR, SOUND
TEXT BOOKLET
Starting point for Transitions is Marc Augé’s book Non-lieux.
I started working intrigued by what it happens all day long - independently from time and space - in gas stations.
The outcome consists of two parts: the first is a video with soundscapes and static images, the second is a text.
The second part is based on integral transcriptions of talks I had with two truck drivers who I traveled with. The text contains an important sociological aspect: it’s the integral documentation of two unknown people forced to spend a day together in a narrow room as a truck.
Text link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3yJxjuCkkefMTFyZkdIMzQ1N1E/
124 Flags
2017COLLAGE, 34 PIGMENT PRINTS PASTED TO THE WALL, VARIABLE DIMENSIONS FANZINE PRINTED WITH RISOGRAPH (EDITION OF 20)
On October 27th 2017 the Parlament of Catalunya approved the birth of the Catalan Repubblic. This meant declaring the independency.
During that weekend I was in Barcelona and I photographed 124 Flags hanging out from windows and balconies.
Untitled (Sound of Silence)
20183-CHANNEL VIDEO INSTALLATION
CHANNEL 1: 4K VIDEO, 8:59 MIN, COLOR, LOOP
CHANNEL 2: 4K VIDEO, 8:07 MIN, COLOR, LOOP
CHANNEL 3: 4K VIDEO, 5:23 MIN, COLOR, LOOP
AUDIO: 12:00 MIN, STEREO, LOOP
In references to Marc Augés „non-places“ Gabriele Spalluto captures different urban environments in static pictures shot by night which are presented on three screens. They are highlighted by a soundscape made of white noise that functions as sound in the background that increases up to a point where it stops abruptly. When we think of urban spaces we have images of bright daylight in our minds; that’s the time when these places are crowded with people that are taking profit of the amenities these cities have to offer. These bustling visitors are the protagonists of interactions - their aim is almost only consumption.
The work of the Swiss-Italian artist who is now based in Zurich offers a different view onto the city that turns into an empty scenery by nighttime and therefore let us discover details that otherwise would stay hidden. These revealed details point towards the typical trading relations of non-places: customers, salesmen, ATMs, shops, train platforms.
Because of the fact that these places are not very supportive in creating an identity they are basically not the ideal stage for a rivalry of cultures that need defending. However, they open up the possibility for us - especially when they’re deserted - to imagine them as places of integration. The noise in the background reminds us that there’s a world in motion behind the motionless images; the increase in inten- sity seems to be insinuating something to come. It is as if it was in a theater that is leading up to the moment when the curtain draws: all is possible but no one knows yet.
Tessa Prati (Curator of the exhibition “Nichts als Integration”)
Seasonal Workers
20187 PIGMENT PRINTS, 25.3 x 38cm EACH (50 x 300cm FRAMED)
Over the last decades numerous chairlifts and further infrastructure for winter sports were built in ski resorts in the Alps.
The winter season usually lasts four and a half months. What happens to these constructions for the rest of the year though? Seasonal Workers questions the impact these constructions have on the landscape while they’re not in use.
(the work has been produced, but not exhibited yet)