The community a person is part of dictates one’s values. In Sicily the Ragusa community has placed their values on leisure- something the APS Antiruggine Association wanted to present to the public. They alongside the Ragusa University Consortium and the Antica Ibla Natural Shopping Centre have created a photo exhibition called “Movida Iblea, un racconto del tempo libero tra memoria e trasformazioni,” which translates to “Iblean Party, a tale of free time between memory and transformations.”
The photos in “Movida Iblea” were donated by local families and focus on the period between the 1960s and 1990s. Many of the photographs featured were taken over the span of thirty years by a local lawyer Giuseppe “Peppino” Di Paola. His pictures document his family and others in the community around him taking part in daily life and traditions. Other pictures included focus on past activities that took place in the historic “Bar e Villa Di Pasquale,” while some were donated by journalist Roberto Voi who is a pioneer in local Iblean television.
The period between the 1960s to the 1990s was transformative for the Ragusa territory. These years helped define the present day identity of Ragusans. Economic changes allowed citizens to enjoy more leisure, but political changes in Italy altered the territory both locally and nationally. Stefania Paxhia, creator of the project and director of the Ragusa Foto Festival explained that the exhibition will be “able to enhance an unpublished visual heritage.” It honors what was once the everyday in the past, but through the economic, social and cultural evolution no longer exists.
Through the photos it is evident that what is being remembered is something many communities around the world are lacking: a third place. The term “third place” refers to areas where people can come together. A home is called the first place and work is the second, but the third allows one to relax and connect with others outside of the other two spaces. In the present day third places are slowly disappearing. However, in the pictures people are seen enjoying their time with others at the beach, by the port, or at bars. For a culture that values leisure the fact that these behaviors which connected people in the community together are slowly being forgotten highlights the importance of this exhibition.
Curator Alfredo Corrao says he hopes the exhibit will function as a “community album” that will “give back to the community the beauty and value of its memories through the sharing and collection of images that have captured the happy moments spent by their families and friends.”
The exhibit, “Movida Iblea, un racconto del tempo libero tra memoria e trasformazioni,” will be on display at the Hi! Hybla Tourist Information located in the heart of Ragusa. It will be available to view everyday until June 2nd from 10am to 1pm and again from 3pm to 7pm.
