Michele Palazzi

Finisterrae

book
Finisterrae departs from a reflection upon the ancient region of Lusitania in today’s Portugal, in search of the origins of European culture and identity. This “end of the world”, left me with a strong feeling of abandonment, like a place that is condemned to remain as it is, motionless. I set out to capture this claustrophobic atmosphere, representing the subjects as cultic figures. Time dissolves in a sense of inaction. The landscapes seem to be the only testimonies of time passing.

Finisterrae departs from a reflection upon the ancient region of Lusitania in today’s Portugal, in search of the origins of European culture and identity. This “end of the world”, left me with a strong feeling of abandonment, like a place that is condemned to remain as it is, motionless. I set out to capture this claustrophobic atmosphere, representing the subjects as cultic figures. Time dissolves in a sense of inaction. The landscapes seem to be the only testimonies of time passing.

Portugal, Alentejo, Evora, Capela dos Ossos - November 2016The interior walls of the Chapel are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones. At the entrance a warning says “We bones that here are, for yours await""Where are you going in such a hurry traveler? Stop … do not proceed; You have no greater concern, Than this one: that on which you focus your sight.Recall how many have passed from this world, Reflect on your similar end, There is good reason to reflect If only all did the same.Ponder, you so influenced by fate, Among the many concerns of the world, So little do you reflect on death;If by chance you glance at this place, Stop … for the sake of your journey, The more you pause, the further on your journey you will be."by Fr. António da Ascenção
Portugal, Alentejo, Fortess of Juromenha, the ruins of an abandoned church - November 2016
Portugal, Alentejo, Portrait of a Bee Breeder - November 2016 The Western honeybee is credited with pollinating a third of the fruit and vegetables grown across Europe. Populations of honeybees have collapsed in recent years. Pesticides, especially a new class of chemicals, are high on the list of suspects. If bees are drastically depleted further, the crops most likely to suffer include those most commercially important in southern Portugal.
Portugal, Alentejo, Vila Vicosa, abandoned stable inside marble quarry - September 2016An abbandoned stable of the marble query
Portugal, Alentejo, Portrait of a miner - October 2016The crisis registered an escalation of suicides in the rural areas, due to alienation and abandonment. The most recent period, where the “crisis-effect” is evident, there has been the highest suicide mortality rate. Before and the during the crisis, suicide rate in the rural areas of Portugal witnessed an increase of 22.6%.
Portugal, Alentejo, Sao Domingos Mine - October 2016The Romans mined in the São Domingos area for gold and silver for about 400 years. In 1855 mining was resumed, as the international demand for copper grew during the Industrial Revolution. About 25 megatons of ore had been extracted when the mine was closed in 1966.
Portugal, Lisbon, A jaguar sleeping - October 2016At best, only an estimated 15,000 jaguars remain in the wild.

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