“Future Studies” on food

Among the exhibitions of the first edition of the Pangea Photo Festival, dedicated to contemporary issues crucial for the future of society and the planet, with his pictures Luca Locatelli talks about innovative agricultural practices and solutions to reduce the problem of the world hunger.

Among the exhibitions of the first edition of the Pangea Photo Festival, dedicated to contemporary issues crucial for the future of society and the planet, the Corte Campanini in Castelnovo ne’ Monti hosts “Future Studies” by Luca Locatelli.

A finalist at the 2018 World Press Photo, Locatelli talks about innovative agricultural practices and solutions to reduce the problem of world hunger. Accessible during Library opening hours, it tells the story of a seven-year journey, still in progress, to explore new ways of living on our Planet.

One of the most characteristic symptoms of the time in which we live is the growing sense of loss of a better future, of a hypothetical tomorrow perceived as something promising and yet unknown. For a long time, technological progress has represented the foundation upon which utopian visions of the future were built, yet allowed us to have access to an extraordinary number of products and to a comfort unimaginable to previous generations.

Today, however, as never before, we are also becoming conscious of its dark side, of the damage it caused in the past as well as the risks implied in living in a highly technological world. Growing political and economic instability, together with an ever more tangible ecological crisis and the virus outbreak experience we are living all over the world, are trapping us in an eternal present made of anxiety and pessimism. In such a scenario and knee-deep in an era in which man’s activities have an increasingly direct impact on the precarious balance of the Earth, a main role is played by our attitude on restoring a balance between science and technology related to our environment. Nonetheless, it is ever more evident that the combination of a scientific approach and technology may be resources to determine a solution to minimize our impact on Earth while maintaining our quality of life, our jobs, and our societal structure.

In the 21st century we surely need to learn how to use our knowledge in a more sustainable way, yet this seems to be an unbreakable loop coming from the past. Future Studies is an ongoing project made of a series of photos and immersive videos derived from a thorough analysis of sociocultural aspects as well as of economic viability and sustainability. It is a 7 years and ongoing journey aimed at exploring new ways to live on our planet on confronting today’s critical environmental issues. Locatelli produces stories in collaboration with journalists, environmentalists, and scientists in order to further contextualize his research.

Future Studies is deeply rooted in documentary and journalistic production and revolves around the ‘making’ of the future. His aim through this project is to present the viewer with a debate regarding our concept of growth and our relationship with nature and technology. The themes he intends to touch, energy transition to renewables, the challenge of massively producing food with less impact, the Circular Economy as the expression of green economy, the expansion and modernisation of our cities in relation to the environment, the reforestation and conservation of forests and the future development of the countryside, can hopefully contributing to help build a bridge between today and tomorrow. Never as in this difficult time of the Covid-19 that stops the world, we had an occasion to reflect what our attitude should be in the future, in the effort of re-establishing a healthy relationship with nature and the planet.

The exhibition presents some photographs from the projects “Hunger Solutions. The Future of Farming” and “The End of Trash. Circular Economy Solutions”; the first shows some of the most promising high tech agro systems as a possible solution to the hunger crisis that will afflict the planet in the coming years, while the second makes us reflect on the possible outcomes of the Circular Economy, which would reduce waste and drain natural resources by planning the generation of waste in order to regenerate the natural system.

“Future Studies” by Luca Locatelli at Corte Campanini, the courtyard of Biblioteca Crovi -Istituto Merulo, via Roma 4, Castelnovo ne’ Monti (RE). Until June the 27th, from Monday to Saturday, H 8.30 / 12.30 and 14 / 19.