MACHINAE OBLITAE

The machine, stated philosopher Pierre-Maxime Schuhl in the middle of the last century, ‘has fulfilled its promise: it has effectively increased man’s power, made him almost the master and possessor of nature, increased well-being and the standard of living’. Having become obsolete, the machines mentioned by Schuhl were then only minimally preserved for the memory of future generations, more often destroyed, sometimes forgotten.

This project focuses on some industrial relics that contributed to the progress of our country. Abandoned in favour of more modern machinery, they are now reclaimed by nature, as if reabsorbed in its eternal ‘growth cycle’.

The jury of the third edition of the AIPAI PHOTO CONTEST is pleased to award a mention to the photographic project ‘Machinae Oblitae’ with the following motivation:

“Machines from a symbol of human power and domination to fragile relics are at the centre of Lorenzo Rosa’s reflection that immortalises a world abandoned by man and any living being. After the Anthropocene, nature has regained dominion over the earth.
The contrast between iron and green, between rust and leaves, pays homage to those fragments of industrial history that have shaped our country, punished in the oblivion to which they have often been destined. These shots invite us to reflect on our responsibility to preserve the material traces of our development, transforming them into memory and testimony for the future”.