The series Bando (Call) was composed between 1997-1999 with photographs from 1995-1998.
Giacomelli conceptualised this series as groups of four photographs, arranged so that the space separating them forms the shape of the cross, a symbol of rebirth: life and death meet across this boundary, which ultimately defines the human condition, much like the hedge delineated infinity for Leopardi.
This series was inspired by Sergio Corazzini’s poem, Bando (Call). The dynamic figures in these photographs are imposing and indecipherable, unruly and unyielding. They are like unutterable, banished words, which together build an inconceivable reality.
Giacomelli’s construction of each scene was a lengthy process, involving hours of continual and minute adjustments to the materials (objects found in situ, remnants from industrial sites) arranged within the space of the photograph.
Giacomelli moved about the space in a ritualistic manner, mapping out his interiority and setting it in motion with reality. This extended moment is tense: Giacomelli held his breath until he pressed the shutter and the flash flooded the scene with bright white light, distilling reality down to its most essential form.
Giacomelli read Corazzini when he was younger, but it is not until his latter years that he used Bando as inspiration for a series of photographs.
