A photographic exploration which addresses the topics of reconstruction, trauma, separation, and regeneration.

‘Fracture’

This project was developed while I was a participant during the week-long 2022 Sicily Photo Masterclass in collaboration with 11 other participants, led by photographers Mimí Mollica and Hélène Binet and editor Lucy Conticello. As photographers we were tasked with contributing to Mimí Mollica’s ongoing collective project entitled ‘Fracture’, which addresses the topics of reconstruction, trauma, separation, and regeneration related to the communities of the Belice valley that were affected by the devastating 1968 earthquake. Over fifty years later, the lengthy and controversial reconstructions still heavily impact the social and economic life of the rural communities.

My initial interests focused on the frenetic geometries, strong shadows, and extreme contrasts that I experienced in the reconstructed communities built in the 1970s and 1980s to house the displaced inhabitants following the 1968 earthquake. Yet as the days went by, my focus began to shift towards the loneliness, but also the beauty and solitude, that pervades these small communities and their associated ruins. The selected photographs and their sequence intend to reflect this personal journey, and serve as a tribute to the people who continue to live in the beautiful Belice valley of Sicily.

Photography: Robert Hutchison
Sicily, June 2022