Light in the dark
Telling a story through a photograph collection is not easy but it is the only way to describe yourself on a global level, it is the only tool that does not encounter language or educational obstacles. Through this small photographic collection, I have tried to represent a part of the most important experience of my life and how it has been totally changed because of the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the project is therefore to transmit a part of my experience to the viewer, trying to make them understand the emotions I felt during that period.
Arriving in Pittsburgh
"When as a child they ask you what do you want to be when you grow up, you usually hear a doctor, an austronaut, a cook; I used to answer, "I want to live in America", and this answer has never changed. Maybe it's because in Italy, my home, I grew up watching Hollywood movies or maybe it's because Americans are so similar to us but also totally different, I just knew that coming here has always been my greatest dream.
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I remember three months ago when I left my home, that 10 hours on the plane seemed endless. I couldn't sit or stand still. I remember the 2 hours spent in line for passport control and the next hour spent waiting for my suitecase at the baggage claim. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't wait to get out and see the famous America I had always dreamed of.
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When I finally got out of the airport for 5 seconds I was disappointed. But I recovered immediately. It's an airport, what was I expecting, to get out and find myself in the middle of skyscrapers?
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I called an Uber and we drove to Pittsburgh, the city where I was to be studying and living for the next 5 months. While the driver was talking, I realized that I didn't understand half of what he was saying but I smiled and nodded so as not to offend him; it might have been for my tiredness, while it was 9:00pm local time it was 3 am where I traveled from.
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For the first 15 minutes of travel I didn't see anything exciting but soon I noticed details: the cars were different, the houses were different, the road signs were different... finally the car turned right and I saw it: a sea of lights and colors. I remained open-mouthed and I started taking pictures of everything; the driver didn't say anything but he probably thought I was crazy. In front of me was Downtown, dozens of illuminated skyscrapers standing out in the dark night sky. The car kept going and I found myself in the middle of these skyscrapers. It's a strange feeling. I've never felt so small. The car drove fast, there was no traffic, everything was confused. My photos are blurred but I kept shooting because I'm finally in America and I don't want to miss anything.
Leaving Pittsburgh
"It's March, I'm in L.A. for spring break. I'm on the bus when I get a message. Friends of mine from Carnegie Mellon, where I've been studying in Pittsburgh, tell me that Harvard closed and all the students had to leave the dorms in 5 days. At first, I thought it was a joke but in the next two hours more and more colleges are closed until finally the fateful email arrives... it seems impossible they are closing my university. What will happen to me and the other exchange students? Will I have to go home? I don't want to go home.
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In the next 5 days the situation got worse and worse. I went back to Pittsburgh but almost all the friends I made there are gone. Everything is closed and I don't even know if they will let me stay in my dorm. My mother calls and tells me that maybe it's better if I go back to Italy, but I explain to her and she understands. I stay here.
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It's April, I got used to this new situation. It took a while. It wasn't easy. I was angry. The experience I've been waiting for all my life had been ruined. I worked hard for 3 years to be able to come here and I find myself locked in my house taking classes on a computer. When I think about it, I still get angry, so I go out, walk and calm down. I see the skyscrapers again. I see the shops and the bright signs. The city is empty and the lights are off, but they are still there ready to be turned on again when all this passes.
Project overview
Academic Project: Carnegie Mellon University - Bachelor degree
Duration: 4 months
Design Team: Nina Zanarelli