According to the Italian environmental group Legambiente, "If all the trash that"¦ escapes official inspection were collected in one place, it would form a mountain weighing 14 million tons and rising 47,900 feet from a base of three hectares. Mont Blanc rises 15,780 feet, Everest 29,015."
-Excerpt from Gomorrah's chapter Land of Fires by Roberto Saviano
For nearly two decades, Campania, the southern region of Italy where Naples is located, has witnessed the ongoing practice of illegal toxic material dumping. This practice has taken place in the provinces of Naples and Caserta known as "The Triangle of Death" taken from the towns of Acerra, Nola and Marigliano. The material that is illegally dumped in this vastly fertile region comes mostly from industries in Northern Italy. As of today, the management of waste material in Campania is fully in the hands of the Camorra "“ a mafia organization with vast economic and political power. The waste material, including aluminum salts, ammonium salts, lead, rubber from tires, and asbestos, is unlawfully incinerated. As a result, high levels of dioxin are released in the atmosphere causing a high rate of birth defects and cancer among the people who are living in the contaminated area.
Campania In-Felix (Unhappy Country) explores the presumed connection between waste, health and environment in the area of the Triangle of Death, recognized by local doctors as the most polluted area of the region, and is presented as a series of triptych images composed of three square images. I chose to present the project as triptychs to emphasize the polarizing environments directly affecting the people living in the region. Life exists stuck between the beauty of the historically fertile land on one hand and a new tradition of waste and destruction on the other.
The documentary Campania In-Felix (unhappy country) is currently under postproduction and will be finished in May 2011. Visit the film's website for more information: www.unhappycountry.com