Industria

As a photographer, I have spent several years visiting numerous Italian factories in search of shots that capture the true character of industry: strong, hardworking, full of ideas and enhanced by design. The beauty of the industrial plants and manufactured products during the production phases never ceases to amaze and fascinate me.

I have always been interested in giving people a “behind the scenes” look at industrial production through an interpretative photographic language. My photos aim at placing everyday objects in the centre of the photograph without, however, excluding the human presence, but giving symbolic meaning to individuals who are generally only considered for their functionality of use. My intention was never to bring a documentary style to the images, but to search for carriers of emotions and information. I wanted to give an overall view of the Italian industrial world that also took into consideration its various relationships. I concentrated on achieving a balance between my inner vision and that of the company. This called for total dedication and a good deal of flexibility, which were necessary for relating to the photos in the most innovative way possible. Of course, I translated my idea, my vision, trying to interpret what Italian industry is today and what it will be in the medium term.

The work was organised into studies and analyses developed through a series of photographic campaigns that focused on companies in all industries. I first tried to get an overall picture of the environments and their complexity, then I found some structured microsystems for establishing the cardinal points. Next I formed conceptual “islands” made up of extremely representative guide images that acted as a synthesis for narrating the story. A special and intrinsic aspect of the photo is inserted in this narration since it develops on the dualism of positive and negative, when a photographer takes a photo he sees a part of reality and erases the rest. Hence the importance of finding the right photo and its placement in a precise point of the path. This helps us to read and better understand a particular moment in time and space of the narrative as a whole.
The photographic campaign was exposed to many different stimuli. However, casualness also played an important role, so finding an “industrial composition” helped me to create a new association or to embark on a new path. Another important element is the knowledge of different fields and their representation. This balance is often built on very small facts, which I had to deal with constantl.

This process allowed me to gradually compose new concepts which began to interact with each other, thus forming a completely homogeneous picture. I have always been attracted by the fascination emanating from spaces and volumes when they are crossed, cut, shaped by effects of light, shadows and shadings. A world that I began to perceive in black and white and that became my interpretive language. I love depicting a company’s place as an extremely attractive container: a place of art, an expression of modernity, an outpost where creativity, technology and new humanism merge into one. Niccolò Biddau

29 November 2013 – 6 January 2014
Niccolò Biddau: Industria
Triennale di Milano
viale Alemagna 6, Milan