The intention is to give expression to an uncertain world in which any sense of community is fast disappearing. In this endeavour, LIMO has travelled along the area bordering the Tuscan Lake Massaciuccoli to bear witness to the state of neglect and decay that characterises many of its features and urban settings. The choice of this territory, forming the subject matter of this photographic research, was dictated by the possibility of working at short-range. In this way it was possible to observe through a privileged lens, with the sense of proximity and belonging, not only specific local degeneration but the general disregard, neglect and lack of interest in the environment and the consequences of rash and ineffective territorial policies. In the case of Massaciuccoli, eutrophication phenomena, especially since the latter half of the last century, have resulted in a significant worsening of water quality, the disappearance of almost all submerged vegetation and the lake’s entire biological community. The most significant impact of the pollution and degradation of the aquatic ecosystem can be seen in the loss of fish, and thus the consequent economic disaster for the Massaciuccoli community, for whom fishing has traditionally been one of the main economic activities. These photographs reflect the interwoven relationships with people and places, in an effort to investigate the ordinary and recognise the constant commitment of those who live in the territory, doing what they can in an attempt to protect and take care of it.
Maria Selene Clemente (Cagliari, 1991) is currently a trainee journalist. In 2017, she graduated with distinction and mention for publication in International studies and MENA politics at the University of Turin (Italy). Her professional experience includes six years working as a humanitarian aid worker in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian Territories. In 2022, she studied documentary photography at Fondazione Studio Marangoni and co-founded the Clemente-Pardini duo. From April to June 2024, she carried out part of her journalism traineeship at Internazionale, where she worked as a photo editor assistant.
Christian Pardini (Pietrasanta, 1987) studied Industrial Design, specialising in exhibition design, at the University of Florence. Since 2009, he has been working as a freelance graphic designer. In 2022, he attended courses in portrait photography and took a master’s degree in documentary photography and photojournalism at the Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence. Since then, he has been part of the Clemente-Pardini duo. He is interested in projects that look at the landscape and its intersection with social and environmental issues. He cultivates his visual and expressive culture while remaining attentive to the international scene, its avant-garde dimensions and independent publications. In 2024, he was awarded a scholarship by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze for the “Filling The Gap” Master at the Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence.
© Text and Pictures by Clemente-Pardini
