My project Fading Away takes inspiration from some lines of a poem titled “Last Hours of the Promised Land” by the well-known Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti.
Ungaretti wrote the poem in his old age. He recounts the journey of man’s life on an autumn afternoon. Absorbed in his thoughts, he retraces moments and memories that built his life.
On one of my train trips to Rome in 2018, looking at the landscape from the window, I remembered this poem by Ungaretti. I had a small camera with me and began to take pictures, freeing my mind from all thoughts. I wanted to be totally part of that moment and I knew that it would become part of my most intimate emotions.
These are small snapshots taken from the window of a train. I became lost in memories in this blurry landscape, which passes quickly, dissolving in a gaze. It was a journey of looking for my true self, an ephemeral path obscured by the daily whirlwind.
— Enzo Crispino, Reggio Emilia, Italy
