Reportage and Documentary 2020
LuganoPhotoDays
Valentina Giola
Night
Satellite night images show areas in Africa completely in the dark, especially Madagascar. The almost total absence of electricity is perceptible at night, where it is possible to illuminate some areas of the villages and houses softly by makeshift means. An old lamppost in front of a room, a shabby television in a room, light bulbs connected to car batteries, candles, and mobile phone screens lighting up in front of the front door are the only sources of lighting in the whole territory. Dark is black. The perfectly split 24 hours contrasts between the 12 daytime and night time hours are accentuated. The sense of time, as Westerners commonly interpret it, is completely distorted and the perception of being observed whilst not seeing anything, is accentuated.
The project was born in 2017 to portrait life in this area during the daylight as well as during its total absence at night.
Excluding the touristy areas characterized by large resorts and tourist facilities, which continuously
reproduce the typical state of illumination in Western life, I have concentrated on the islands of Nosy Be
and Nosy Iranja. The still ongoing research has been focusing on local housing, and specifically on the
population habits in that range of action articulated between the inside and outside of houses, a few
meters from where people carry out their usual activities during the day and night time.