
Up close and personal with Italian cities
during the Covid-19 pandemic and the
country’s multifaceted national identity.
Photographic journey through some of the Italian cities that have played a key role in defining Italy’s cultural identity.
Writing
As I make my way down the spiral walls of the Guggenheim in New York, I stop to observe the flowing brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s Mountains at Saint-Rémy. … I’m alone. Alone with the hundreds or thousands of IP addresses perusing the museum’s online art offering. I’m not so lonely after all.
The memories of my indignation rushed back, as vivid as ever. How could Chang talk like that about such a treasured Italian dish? I felt he was personally attacking me and my heritage.
The most coveted award globally in the restaurant world are Michelin stars. A symbol of status … but what happens in a world battered by the COVID-19 virus, do they preserve their significant role?
Sam Smith’s melodiously exceptional voice begins their latest album Love Goes with a spiritual introduction to a new romance-filled record. “They’re watching me, judging me, making me feel so used,” they belt out in Young, religiously singing a cappella intensified only by the digitally created reverb effect.
Across the world, Chinatowns were feeling the weighty impact of the news of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading in Wuhan. With many Chinese having traveled to and from their home countries to celebrate the Lunar New Year, people feared that the virus had left the borders of the Asian country and was dispersing overseas.
When in 1968 “The Boys in the Band” first hit the Off-Broadway stage, it roused such feeling of discomfort in viewers – both LGBTQ and heterosexual – that it potentially contributed to the Stonewall riots in 1969 and the Gay Liberation movements of the 70s. The impact of this provocative story is still powerful today, in its on-screen rendition, recently released on Netflix.
Disaster locations have long attracted international tourism. Pompeii, Hiroshima, or Chernobyl are just a few of the notorious locations affected by calamities – natural or man-made. After an earthquake, a tsunami, and a nuclear powerplant meltdown in 2011 Fukushima became well-known. The city of Wuhan is today intrinsically linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tribeca has long been a home for artists and other celebrities, but it’s only been within the last couple of years that the neighborhood’s storefronts have begun filling with artworks. Now, however, the gallery openings and new shows there have been interrupted by the global pandemic that has put the entire art world on hold.
As petitions for recycling and circular economy solutions increase, many are finding alternative ways to transform this material from potential waste into a resource for their business.
In this little corner of the world, where birds chirp happily and time stops, the global COVID-19 pandemic raging outside feels distant and surreal. So does my hasty escape from New York, the city where I left behind the lifelong dream that I’d recently made into a reality.
Visual
Caracol, is an additive manufacturing startup, in March it stopped traditional work to 3D print protective masks to help Italians face the Covid-19 Pandemic.
What does a day in the life of an artist look like? I followed artist Ugo Nespolo, on a typical day in his life in Torino, Italy.
This is a photographic project analyzing different foods, with a historic and cultural perspective, in particular with their role and development in Italy.
Online portrait shoot of Yara El Murr during quarantine - she was in her home in Brooklyn, New York (USA), I was in Terni, Umbria (Italy).
During my quarantine, I ended up in Terni, Umbria (Italy), a place I’d never seen before.
When Covid-19 hit Francesco De Stefano was in New York, he left as soon as he could to travel back to his home country - Italy. In the last few days of March he found himself quarantined in Terni, Umbria, in his late grandparents home.
Alex Dabagh creates bags by recycling used plastic bags, weaving them into new material, and hand crafting a modern, colorful tote.
Alex Dabagh creates bags by recycling used plastic bags, weaving them into new material, and hand crafting a modern, colorful tote.
Travels
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal — that was about as much as I knew about it before deciding to visit the city. With only two days to visit the city, I immersed myself in its streets and was mesmerized by its deep-seated pathos and subdued vitality.
So here’s what you must see if you’re in Lisbon for the weekend!
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal — that was about as much as I knew about it before deciding to visit the city. With only two days to visit the city, I immersed myself in its streets and was mesmerized by its deep-seated pathos and subdued vitality.
So here’s what you must see if you’re in Lisbon for the weekend!
One of the reasons I love New York is that it’s so easy to find your way around! No need to zig zag though streets, getting lost thousands of times! For example if you take 42nd street you can find some of the most touristic and fascinating sights in the city!
When I thought about what place I’d talk about in my first blog article I had no doubt: New York City. It might seem like a cliche, but there is no place on earth I feel as attracted to as New York.
Asakusa was one of the first places I visited when I got to Tokyo, as it is where the Asakusa Senso-ji Buddhist Temple is located. It is one of the “oldest” districts in Tokyo, considering that the city was destroyed with the bombings in World War II.
Odaiba is a man-made island in the middle of Tokyo bay. Originally a fort island meant to protect Tokyo, it was redeveloped into a modern residential and business district. It is now a very attractive touristic attraction, with all of its shopping malls.
When thinking about how to describe this area I had no idea where to start from! Shibuya is one of the most well-known areas of Tokyo, as it’s extremely fashionable and young.