Fotografare la diversità: viaggio nella bellezza dell'umanità | Alessandro Bergamini | TEDxMirandola
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONUn3YMEZs Video ID: MONUn3YMEZs ============================================================ Translator: Michele Gianella Reviewer: Nicoletta Pedrana What does DNA have to do with travel? I'll try to explain. We all know the discovery of DNA is an extraordinary event for many reasons: if any, because it has allowed us to map trips ever since humans began to move from Central Africa, where our species has manifested, to the furthest corners of our planet. We have thus discovered that migrations, travels and journeys are the most common characteristic of every human being. As a species, we move, and we always did. Today, photography follows our travels, and it is a way to share enthusiasm for what we have seen and experienced; at the beginning, we search for beautiful beaches, nice views, charming monuments: for example, this is my first trip to India, where I went in search for the traditional symbols of the country. Then, however, we end up attracted to such a different world, no matter how hard we try to describe it, we just can't get the idea. But this is where something has changed. Do you know when they say that what truly remains of the journey are the people? That's true, as people remain inside you: it's people that I found myself photographing searching for their essence, their look. Seeing into the eyes of those who look at us creates an intimate connection with their life and history. For sure, they are not postcard beauties: they are peculiar, rarer beauties. There are so many ways to tell the story of these people. I chose to tell about their beauty. I chose to convey the wonder I feel every time I travel, sharing the greatest wealth of human beings: diversity. (Video) And if we go further and further, we find ourselves among peoples and ethnic groups unknown to us. But we need to abandon your stereotypes, your habits, to completely immerse ourselves into the culture we encounter. I used a strong aesthetic component to show these people as I think that beauty is the key to bring more and more people closer to this reality; and by sharing my shots, I noticed that this works: people get curious, and they started asking me where these places are, how these people are. So, photography helps transmit the thousand ways beauty shows itself. When taking a portrait, a sort of relationship develops with those on the other side of the lens. May they be men, women, children, the elderly, you find yourself communicating, even without a common language. We can say, therefore, that combining travel and photography friendships that seem unlikely can arise. What do we have in common with an Indian saint, an Afghan shepherd or a Chinese peasant? Humanity. Realizing that we all have the same needs, even if we show them in different ways. Today, modernity and interconnectedness tend to make us all more alike, reducing diversity. But there are still peoples, and ethnic groups with a strong connection to the past, although this is increasingly rare. Some still lead a completely nomadic life. Some choose to live in the most difficult areas of our planet. Some live in homes without electricity or drinking water. Where a river, the sun, soil and animals have always been their source of livelihood. But these are worlds that are disappearing. That's why I think they're to be seen and told, because the risk is that they are not even known to have existed. It would be a shame. as they are part of us even if we don't know them. For this reason, journey after journey, a project took shape even before having a name. We can call it the "Atlas of the Peoples", which is nothing more than the collection of all the cultures on our planet. There are so many similar projects in the world. I am pleased to mention the "Atlas of Humanity", a project where I was one of the first photographers to be involved by its creator Martin Vega, a few years ago. "Atlas of Humanity" is a project which brings together a hundred photographers that work independently with the common intent of using photography to document diversity in the world. I've been happy to take part, because I was already heading towards my ideal Atlas of Peoples. Here are a few examples. The Ch'in tribe in Myanmar: they live in the jungle, on the border with Bangladesh, their charming feature is the tattoos on women's faces. This practice has now been banned, so it's getting harder meeting young women with this ancient ornament. The Kayan tribe, in Myanmar as well. Women, from a very young age, put gold and brass ring necklaces adding one every year, until they get this long, tapered neck. It's actually an optical effect, because it is not the neck that stretches but the collarbone that lowers. The Miao ethnic group in China. Here women wear this typical headgear made from a large skein of woollen threads braided with the hair of their ancestors. In this part of China, people are particularly hospitable. I have often been invited to enter their homes, to eat together. The Nenets people in northern Siberia, Russia. They live in the Jamal Peninsula and they are nomads who live on pastoralism and fishing, with clothing made of reindeer skins to protect themselves against frost with temperatures reaching -40°C. I lived in their tents, called chum. Here everybody eat and sleep together: parents, grandparents, children, and even shepherd dogs. Since their work is very complex, I have not been asked to help them. The only task I was given was to keep the fire alive and to make the tent comfortable upon their return. The Bakarwal tribe in Kashmir, India: they're nomadic shepherds, that move animals along the rugged Himalayan paths. One of their main features is the beard of this flaming dye. I had a migration with them, and I was asked to help them follow the flock: a little to test me, but also to have a laugh. I assure you, it wasn't easy at all. Tibetan monks in the Zanskar Valley, India. We are on the Himalayan highlands as well, where I had the chance to enter a monastery and attend their religious practices. Here children study to become monks; but as in all parts of the world, here's a ball, and the valley is filled with laughter. The Waky Shepherds in the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan. We are on the Pamir Mountains, 4,000 metres high. The Wakies walked me step by step through this very hard territory. They taught me where to find drinking water, how to light a fire for cooking and where to put the tents for the night. Without them, I would surely have felt lost. These are just a few examples, but that's why so much effort to reach such remote places: because it is always a great thrill to collect these testimonies. Everywhere, even on the edge of the world, modernity and technology are spreading and young people are abandoning old traditions. And so I wondered, will we be the last ones to see those women with tattooed faces, or those reindeer shepherds living on the ice? And then, what's next? From this thoughts, the idea of using photography as testimony came. Here's the biggest goal: to show how various and rich in diversity the world is, and how little we know about what surrounds us. In the end, getting your eyes and heart used to opening up to diversity can help you understand that the beauty of diversity is truly everywhere, even at home. Hence my interest, together with the sports club "Prima Gioco", to create a project that I really care about. It's called Inclusive Basketball. Children play in groups here without distinction of masculine, feminine, normodotated or disabled. Everybody play together: and it is a way to live, from a very young age, the richness and beauty of diversity. Finally, I'd like to say: as soon as possible, let's travel again. Trips aren't just great experiences: trips offer something to learn. When you go home, you feel changed not only in your thoughts but also in the awareness of the world. Diversity is beauty, enrichment, and knowledge opens our minds and expands our horizons. Thanks. (Applause)