Trans Emilia – The Linea di Confine Collection: A Territorial Reconnaissance of the Emilia-Romagna
The Emilia-Romagna region is strung with melodically named cities. Punctuating the over two-thousand-year-old ancient Roman road Via Emilia and the dead-straight multi-lane A1 motorway from Milan to Bologna of today are cities such as Piacenza, high up in the northwest, Parma, Modena and Bologna in the flat lowlands near the Po, and Rimini and Ravenna further southeast on the sharp coast of the Adriatic. Together they characterise the region – so astounding in its diversity of landscape, culture and economy – that extends between Lombardy and Veneto in the north and the Toscana in the south.
Unfortunately, travelers only see this region of Italy as they rapidly pass through. With the soon-to-be-finished high-speed line of the Italian Railway from Milan to Bologna, a further opportunity is being promoted for the swift transit through this region, with various consequences: As a result of the transport-based link to the large Italian economic centers, regions like Reggio Emilia are being opened up to completely new, future-orientated perspectives, while other locations are slowly losing their strategic importance.
The project Linea di Confine (borderline) is a combination of the extensive commissioned photographic projects that have been launched since 1989 on the initiative of the Culture Department of Rubiera, located near the city of Modena. Internationally recognized photographers such as Lewis Baltz, Stephen Shore, John Davies, John Gossage and Axel Hütte have been invited to the Emilia-Romagna with the assignment of undertaking topographical research and leading workshops with young Italian photographers on thematically formulated artistic projects on subjects of regional interest. For over fifteen years, the goal has been to use the medium of photography to investigate particular territories in order to reflect on and discuss complex perspectives on contemporary landscapes. These investigations address various levels of meaning relating to the project in question, including landscape-geographical and historical, economic, political, cultural and sociological interventions in the quickly shifting landscapes.
With Marina Ballo Charmet, Lewis Baltz, Olivo Barbieri, Andrea Botto, Michele Buda, John Davies, Paola De Pietri, Gilbert Fastenaekens, John Gossage, William Guerrieri, Guido Guidi, Axel Hütte, Gian Luca Liverani, Walter Niedermayr, Stephen Shore und Marco Signorini.
The exhibition was curated by Thomas Seelig and Urs Stahel. A cooperation with Linea di Confine, Rubiera, and Biblioteca Panizzi, Reggio Emilia and SK Stiftung Kultur,Cologne.
Main sponsor: Banco del Gottardo, Lugano