FABIO ARTUSI Documentary Photographer

Vucciria Market, Palermo

The " VUCCIRIA " between past and present Photographic project for a Vucciria anchored to the past from to project in the future

The district of the Vucciria (or of the Loggia) in the historical center in Palermo he has been subject in recent times to an acceleration of the degrade building and of the exodus of big part of the shopkeepers, that has conducted the historical market toward the beginning of the extinction. The district, nearly deprived of resident preserve still the suggestive architectures of the buildings once lived from the foreign merchants and from the aristocracy and the many monuments of which it is rich. Between crumbling buildings and buildings already collapsed in non distant times, it is still developed a discreet social life and the few standing economic activities, they withstand despite the shortage of clientele. Every attempt of raising of the market must be preceded by an organic operation of building recovery and is necessary to experiment new and more modern forms of insertion in the cycle of the distribution of the typical products proper of the culture and of the local tradition. In particular manner is necessary to transmit trust to the merchants because the change, started once the building recovery, it has to depart from them. In this context the photographic investigation it has to take back the gestures and the culture that anchors they remain inside the district, because these are his peculiar characteristics that distinguish it from the others and they constitute the base from which to leave again for the relaunch. The same sellers and itinerant that populate her they are of the small worlds inside the biggest world that is the market. Me same I have seen to swarm about ten and about ten tourists between the lanes of the district interested to the way of life and at culture that it countersigns but after few they escaped , here would be necessary to equip in way that the traveller remains, and you become source of wealth for everybody. What succeed in seeing with the photo almost always escapes the look of the common passer-by, and it is this his assignment, to record and to put in evidence what the mind of the people doesn't succeed in stopping, therefore to show the vitality, the peculiarities or the social problems of an inhabited place. After having begun this photographic investigation I am not very convinced anymore that the Vucciria is completely dead but only to sleep. Now is necessary to effect the remedies to wake up again her, but before is really too late. The recovery of the Vucciria I would compare it to the recovery of the theater Massimo, a monument of so great importance from to act from element of tourist call and enormous prestige for the whole city. Here therefore the photographic investigation that acts from catalyst and it makes evident the presuppositions for the change, to pact that the change is wanted by everybody. And then we leave again from the art, from the artists that they have populated and that they populate the district, from the monuments, from the sellers and from the varied characters that have a history from to tell and they are so many. Let's give again vitality to the people because they are them the Vucciria! The function of the photo is to try that he is able!