Fadi Maruan Piccialli Carty Reyes – Silent reflections

This is a project in which after many years of living in a place, both in the summer and as a resident, in this case Salina, I decided to try to capture what from my perspective are the most distinctive features in such a unique place. Salina is one of those places where time never seems to pass and therefore analog photography lends itself as an ideal tool to reveal the sense of eternity that pervades the places of the island, as the places within it have changed very little over the years, thanks to the landscape constraints that exist as a UNESCO heritage site. So an analog photo taken there now could be easily confused with one taken a century ago. In my photos I also tried to highlight the particular relationship that exists there with nature, an organic and harmonious relationship, of which every islander seems to be well aware and proud. There is certainly tourism, but there has never been that mass tourism that distorts and shapes places as places to pass through and not to fully live. Much of the tourism in Salina is in fact from families who have a second home there (like mine) and therefore experience the island in a way that is halfway between islanders and tourists, certainly less impactful and more respectful of the territory compared to mass tourism. The photos therefore aim to convey that pervasive feeling of peace, calm and the possibility of living a less hectic life that one has while staying in Salina. I like to think and I am convinced that these photos are able to convey even at a level that usually does not belong to photography, the auditory level, as the thing that for me most characterizes Salina and brings peace to the soul is the dominion of sound of the sea and the wind or the most complete silences which, for those coming from noisy environments such as cities, have an incredible regenerating force.