Compro libri antichi (I buy old books)

Compro libri antichi (I buy old books)

Photo: “Compro libri antichi (I buy old books) – Berlin – Neukölln
© Marco Ristuccia

I took this photo in Berlin-Neukölln during the “48 Stunden Neukölln” festival. A young representative of the iPhone-generation curiously chosen as the face of a campaign for antique books collection.

See the full reportage on Il Nuovo Berlinese

The missing Black

The black shining

Photo: “The black door” 
© Marco Ristuccia

While progress and evolution are donating us amazing things, conversely, as time goes by, we’re gradually deprived of something else. A kind of loss which is so slow and subtle we can’t even get aware of.

One of my personal mournings is the death of Black, silently blown away by some sort of faded gray shade. It might have something to do with our unconscious fears, historically and psychologically associated with darkness. The fact is that nowadays the whole world seems to have the urge to be utterly lit up and crystal clear, like the icon of the heaven we all aspire to.

I really miss the mystery and inscrutability of the true Black that made us dream of what was behind, the deep Black of the night sky which allowed us to admire the glowing stars, the absolute Black of the venerable CRT TVs that rendered the movie experience so attractive, and the fat Black of the silver gelatine never reached by any digital print.

The Impossible magic

Christine's neck - Impossible Silver Shade instant film (C) Marco Ristuccia

Photo: “Christine’s neck” – Impossible Silver Shade instant film 
© Marco Ristuccia

Since I started playing around with the new Impossible Project polaroid-like instant films, I had always incoherent, often disappointing results. By “disappointing” I mean that the shots I got barely matched the subject’s image depicted in my mind. Continue reading →