The cultural association dotART presents “Vajont Photo Days,” a multidisciplinary project originated on the occasion of the Day in Remembrance of the Vajont Tragedy. It has involved photographers, survivors of the tragedy, cultural and scientific institutions, with the aim of remembering the Vajont tragedy through the dialogue between photography, historical testimony, promotion, and enhancement of the territory.

The event is set for Saturday, September 30 2023, at 10:30 a.m. in the conference room of Trieste Airport for the presentation of the project and photo exhibition, preview of the photo book and the multimedia document.

The group photo exhibition is already on display at the Trieste Airport exhibition space, and can be visited until September 30. It was edited and curated with more than 80 shots from the 350 selected for the photo book.

During the event will be awarded the best authors of the open call and of the photographic walk “24HOURS of photography in Vajont” organized as part of the activities of the photo project PixAround FVG 2023.

Vajont Photo Days is a journey that travels through time, taking us from the days”before the tragedy” to the present, sixty years after the dramatic Vajont disaster. A journey that captures photographically the essence of the place and its inhabitants, and makes tangible the collective memory and historical testimony.

The project was promoted through an international photographic open call, which saw the participation of more than 90 photographers, with more than 570 photos and 50 portfolios, and the organization of an entire weekend of in-depth study spent in Erto, Casso and Longarone during which participants were able to “live” that tragic night through the stories and emotions of the survivors interviewed, document the transformation of the landscape following the tragedy, reflect on the importance of collective memory and testimony, but also reflect on the impact and risk of large-scale interventions on the environment and people’s lives.

The weekend was enriched by the intensive workshop “Reportage: how to build a story” held by Pierpaolo Mittica, an award-winning humanist photographer, reporter and video producer known worldwide.

“Vajont Photo Days” has taken shape in two extraordinary results:

• The photographic volume Vajont Photo Days: 1963 – 2023 published by Exhibit Around APS, composed of 350 photographs taken by the 66 selected authors who have captured, according to their own sensibility, the essence of the places, the emotions of those who lived through that tragic event, the memory. The images of the present dialogue with archival images provided by CRAF and the Photographic Club “La Gondola”, and the original project created by photographer Pierpaolo Mittica.
  
  
• ​​A multimedia document created with the aim of keeping alive the memory of the Vajont tragedy, raising public awareness of this important chapter in history, and provide an opportunity for a debate on the impact of major interventions on the environment, the importance of data analysis to assess disaster risk, also taking into account climate change.
  The dialogue between precious archival images provided by CRAF and Photographic Club “La Gondola”, the extraordinary photographs taken by 66 authors, the touching interviews with survivors, are interwoven here with interviews with Pierpaolo Mittica and cultural and scientific partners: Antonio Carrara President of the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park Authority, Francesco Pauli, Professor of Statistics at DEAMS – Department of Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences “B. de Finetti,” Alvise Rampini, Director of CRAF – Center for Research and Archiving of Photography in Spilimbergo, and Professor Giovanni Fraziano, Professor of Architectural and Urban Composition at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste.

The volume and multimedia document will be presented at the Tenth Edition of Trieste Photo Days – International Festival of Urban Photography (October 27-29, 2023).

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Vajont Photo Days is realized with the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region – “Io Sono FVG” and the Partnerships with CRAF – Center for Research and Archiving of Photography, DEAMS – Department of Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences “B. de Finetti” of the University of Trieste, Ente Parco Naturale Dolomiti Friulane and the photographic club La Gondola of Venice with the collaboration of Professor Giovanni Fraziano, Professor of Architectural and Urban Composition, Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Trieste, Municipality of Vajont, ProLoco Vajont APS, Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Rogers Station. 

Vajont Photo Days also benefits from the art-historical consultancy of Vincenzo Labellarte.

Special guest of the project is photographer Pierpaolo Mittica.

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On display photos by:
Adriano Zanni, Alessandro Secondin, Alessia Ciocca, Andrea Zadro, Barbara Floreani, Barbara Domenis, Beatrice Ius, Claudia Casal, Claudia Alberti, Claudio Covre, Clelia Petris, Cristina Achucarro, Davide Serpagli, Donato Marmorini, Elisa Crestani, Elisa Bartolini, Emanuele Granzo, Enzo Crispino, Federico Mondini, Francesca Codogno, Francesco Mattucci, Franco Gardiman, Fulvio Marcello Orsenigo, Gabriele Calamelli, Giuseppe Roccasanta, Giustina Wind, Iskra Coronelli, Licia De Marco, Lodovico Borgogno, Lorenzo Bettio, Manuel Faggionato, Manuele Cecconello, Marco De Biasi, Marco Saccon, Maria Zambon, Maria Cristina Cupin, Marina Tosolini, Massimiliano Del Bianco, Massimiliano Perelli, Matteo Faliero, Maurizio Sartoretto, Mauro Zonch, Mauro Zorer, Mauro De Bettio, Nazzareno Berton, Oreste Girotto, Paolo Parussini, Patrizia Sonato, Renzo Schiratti, Riccardo Moretti, Riccardo Fornasiero, Roberta Grandelis, Roberto Pelin, Romano Ovan, Rosario De Blasi, Sandro Vicedomini, Stefania Giacomin, Stefano Meroi, Stefano Ambroset, Stefano Consolaro, Terry Manfrin, Tullio Andrea Sivilotti, Umberto Vio, Umberto Cenedese, Vittorio Sgoifo, Walter Bastiani.