MEMORIES OF THE FILO’

EMANUELE BRUTTI

To talk about Lessinia means inevitably to talk about Attilio Benedetti. 

He was a self-taught expert of Lessinia as far as ethnic, geographical and folkloristic aspects are concerned. Thanks to him today we have the museum of fossils of Camposilvano and the explanation to the various phenomena of karst where the local population decided to set the tales of the “filo’”. 

The choice of photographing this area guided by its myths and legends came to me naturally as I was fascinated by the idea of developing a project based on the memory of ancient habits and rituals that no longer exist.
The elders of Lessinia remember where and how the “filo’” used to be organised, the people that used to go there and what they used to do. However, what they used to say during those nights it’s now only a vague memory. These stories were to be lost if it was not for Benedetti that created an anthology of the “filo’” ’s tales which inspired me to translate into visual form, a hypothetical dialogue between images and myths, not the actual being in the stables but the freeze-frame of the stories the mountaineers used to verbally pass on in the “filo’”.
My aim is that of keeping an interest alive through photography by depicting the tales that are strictly linked to what once was the life in the community in Lessinia and with which the new generations are not familiar with, because, as L. Levy – Bruhl writes – “in the primitive mentality preferring a magical explanation to a phenomenon despite a scientific one was the norm; the primitives refused natural causes and their thoughts immediately turned to the supernatural”.

www.bruttiemanuele.com

 

BIOGRAPHY

EMANUELE BRUTTI Born in 1984 in Verona. After living between Germany and Ireland he decided in 2013/2014 to attend a master in photojournalism at Luz Photo Agency in Milan. As photographer he is particularly interested in long term projects focused on relationship between social issues, people and their environment. His desire to cooperate with different artists brought him to fund in Verona Fonderia20.9 an artist-run space dealing with contemporary photography co-founded together with Chiara Bandino and Francesco Biasi. He currently works and lives in Verona.

EXHIBITIONS
“Just another boxer” – Bitume Photofest Lecce 2014
“Just another boxer” – Les Boutographies Photofest Montpellier 2015
“Index G” – SIFEST 2018 Savignano sul Rubicone (IT) 2018
“Index G” – Fonderia 20.9 2018
SÅM – ESPLORAZIONE VISIVA DELLA LESSINIA – Lessinia Film Festival 2018
SÅM – ESPLORAZIONE VISIVA DELLA LESSINIA – Fonderia 20.9 2019
“Index G” – But Still, It Turns – ICP New York – 2021

BOOKS
“Index G” – shortlisted Luma Rencontres Dummy Award 2018 Arles
“Index G” – shortlisted Kassel Dummy Book Award 2018
“Index G” – 1st place XV PREMIO Marco Bastianelli 2019 BEST ITALIAN PHOTOBOOK 2019
“Index G” – shortlisted Best Photography Book of the Year Award PHOTO ESPAÑA 2019

OTHER
“Traces” – Honourable mention nominee PH MUSEUM mobile photo prize 2020
“Traces” – winner of MIKROS Call – A call to think big and look at what is small – D.O.O.R. 2020

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