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Touch Ground

In 2013 alone, over 40,000 migrants braved the Mediterranean Sea in an attempt to reach Italy (and Europe). Many of these migrants ended up in Sicily and the surrounding islands. The route was a familiar one, as thousands of these people have previously traveled this route in years past during previous attempts. In "Touch Ground," I photographed beaches, harbors, cliffs—the places where, in recent years, migrants have first reached the shores of Europe from their original homes in North Africa. The photographs form an exploration of the idea of "Terra Firma", a coveted place, object of hopes, tragedies, happiness, disillusion, and sometimes, death. I chose to make my pictures at night, because it was at these times that the places appeared full of meaning. Within the absence of the darkness and the emptiness, I sensed an epic quality to the scale of these migrations and the individual emotions that each journey embodied. These photos are, then, a work on the borders: the borders between land, sea and men. The seascapes depicted are epic and empty yet also “places of the present,” places of contemporary history. They are, at once, the theaters of tragic, life-altering events and at the same time, simply the sea for the rest of us.
To my son Vittorio, wishing him to live in a World without borders.

Year: 2009-2014 - Archival Pigment Prints | Optionally mounted on Dibond or Diasec | Rights managed licenses | More on Touch Ground
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Touch Ground (2009-2014)
Touch Ground (2009-2014)
Eloro
Eloro
Punta Secca (2)
Punta Secca (2)
Fanusa (3)
Fanusa (3)
Catania
Catania
Portopalo (4)
Portopalo (4)
Punta Secca (1)
Punta Secca (1)
Portopalo (3)
Portopalo (3)
Acitrezza
Acitrezza
Avola
Avola
Sampieri (2)
Sampieri (2)
Playa Beach
Playa Beach
Portopalo (2)
Portopalo (2)
Porto Empedocle
Porto Empedocle
Punta Braccetto
Punta Braccetto
Augusta (1)
Augusta (1)
Sampieri (1)
Sampieri (1)
Lampedusa
Lampedusa
Donnalucata
Donnalucata
Gela (2)
Gela (2)
Scoglitti (2)
Scoglitti (2)
Linosa
Linosa
Marina di Ragusa
Marina di Ragusa
Marina di Ragusa (1)
Marina di Ragusa (1)
Gela (3)
Gela (3)
Siracusa Santa Panagia (1)
Siracusa Santa Panagia (1)
Punta Secca (3)
Punta Secca (3)
Catania (2)
Catania (2)
Portopalo (1)
Portopalo (1)
Punta Secca (4)
Punta Secca (4)
Petroliere
Petroliere
Siracusa Santa Panagia (2)
Siracusa Santa Panagia (2)
Scoglitti (1)
Scoglitti (1)
Catania harbour
Catania harbour
Punta Secca
Punta Secca
Gela
Gela
La Tonnara di Santa Panagia
La Tonnara di Santa Panagia
Lido Università, Catania
Lido Università, Catania
Milocca
Milocca
All images © Massimo Cristaldi 2002-2022
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