Visuality and Migration: Two Crises in Gianfranco Rosi’s documentary “Fire at Sea”

Visuality and Migration. A video essay by Erik Scaltriti

I am very happy to announce the publication of my video essay and commentary [in]Transition issue 7.3

Can moving images narrate the migration phenomena without stereotyping it? Offering a site to explore the deep connection between the parallel crises of migration and Western visuality, “Fire at Sea” contrasts several media stereotypes on migration. However, I argue that it foregrounds a false contraposition between a humanitarian vision of migration and a state vision of it.

Thank you to all who supported this project and gave their feedback!

Sentimental Atlas, Migrant Autobiographies

This is an atlas, a human atlas, made up of people who have left a distant place, in space and time. Autobiographical stories, made with tenderness, through small memories and impressions of youth. A small collection of individual human uniqueness, where in the different stories, everyone can find himself/herself.”  (Monica Carrozzi)

Above all, this video-documentary is the result of a team effort which brought together different skills and different sensitivities in tackling two topical issues: identity and mobility.

Sentimental Atlas,  Migrant Autobiographies is the result of a participatory workshop I coordinated within the project ON: Itinerant Workshop Of Music And Various Arts, in collaboration with the Province of Reggio Emilia, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, SpaceLab (Onlus Papa Giovanni XXIII Association) and the Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italia (Reggio Emilia).

This video has also traveled and been presented in diverse spaces of the city and to festivals. The screenings have always been followed by discussions with people who have experienced migration and forced displacement over the years (often accompanied by the photographic exhibition by Monica Carrozzi “Ethnic collection of hens”).