TO THE LAKE TONDO

DAVIDE GALANDINI

I approached this place by chance and was fascinated by it. An arduous path leads to this almost unknown region, characterized by gigantic basaltic columns formed after volcanic eruptions happened million of years ago.

Already in 1995, geologists and vulcanologists from the Università of Ferrara had conducted site-specific researches on this very area. In order to become more familiar with these very peculiar and rare rocks, I drew them into the project.

This has allowed me to first get a clear understanding of the places and phenomena that have characterized them and it later became an effective way of looking at things. I noticed a constant, the one that in nature perfectly lends itself to give shape to the surface of a place – the hexagon. The descriptive force of this geometric shape can also be found as the privileged visual language in some ancient maps of that territory.

The themes linked to the environment, it’s exploitation as well as the way to deploy the resources have lead me to a concrete and visible deed. On August 4th, 2018 I have placed a landmark composed of a hexagonal prism (location 45° 57’ 42” N 11° 22’ 22” E) that has the purpose of indicating the start of the path that leads to the Lago Tondo. Made out of basalt, it carries with it the actual characteristics of the natural rock, namely the cracks that will in time change its solidity and eventually break into three pieces letting it return to the land it came from.

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