Luana Rigolli
in Paspébiac

Volcanic islands are solidified lava.
I like to think that under each of them there is a kind of conduit that goes straight to the mantle, the layer of our planet made up of magma, and that all these conduits form a kind of network, of roots, which keeps the islands connected to each other even thousands of miles apart. I think that volcanic islands are also comet stars in reverse, bodies that have detached themselves from the center of the earth, with their trail of molten magma, to end up in the middle of the sea. Perhaps this is why they are all similar to each other, because they are made of the same material, and carry the same energy and the same dreams…

It’s said that volcanoes are magnetic. The rocks, which form the volcanic buildings, contain a large quantity of magnetic minerals that can generate strong forces that compromise the true functioning of the compass. People have different suggestions and levels of sensitivity… I think I have a strong sensitivity to the magnetism of these volcanic rocks. I have photographed many Italian volcanic islands and in all of them I have found the same colors, vegetation, animals and people, creating a pleasant confusion in my head. When I’m on an island, I often forget which one I’m on; I get confused; sometimes I think I’m on another island, in a continuous game of déjà vu.

The Italian volcanic islands I photographed are Capraia, Linosa, Lipari, Pantelleria, Ponza, Procida, Stromboli, Ustica, Ventotene. Here I introduce a selection of the pictures I have taken on them over the last seven years.