Marco Maraviglia and Massimo Vicinanza, professional photographers for over 30 years specializing in travel and tourism photography, have recently founded the Photo Polis Cultural Association, whose activities are mainly based on ethical, social, and environmental principles, pursuing what they call “the civilization of images.”
Wonderful Naples Prize is the photography contest they have organized which features some original peculiarities…
Why original?
Massimo > first of all the first prize, an exhibition that will be broadcast for a month in random mode on monitors placed in most of the stations of the metro system of Naples and its province, thus reaching a huge and absolutely heterogeneous audience. The idea really excited us because it reminds us of Keith Haring’s interventions, who illegally graffitied the New York subway and was arrested several times for it. This prize, however, offers the opportunity to legally exhibit in the galleries of the metro, funiculars, Cumana, Circumflegrea…
Marco > actually the opportunity was offered by Luciano Colella of the consortium Videometrò News Network which manages the spaces of the TV circuit present in the art stations of metro L1 etc. Luciano is one of those people I would define as a “genius of good,” his thinking is always focused on trying to find solutions to make Naples more beautiful and humane. You know the snack of Cogito Ergo Sud? The behavioral wisdom pills we see online and on the metro monitors? His and actor Massimo Andrei’s work.
It seems the jury is another strong point for the contest…
Marco > heheh… The idea of a jury that had little to do with photography has always fascinated me because I think an image should be analyzed from several points of view: a jury made up only of photographers would probably judge based solely on technical/compositional or commercial factors or based on their own specialization skills. Here it’s not about judging photos as if they were destined for a specialized magazine or a well-defined market, but about identifying new aesthetic aspects of Naples, something that should be entrusted to people with a different mental dynamic than a professional photographer or a picture editor.
Massimo > for example, in the evaluation criteria, technique was given the lowest score. While coherence with the theme and overall emotional impact are the aspects we consider most interesting, that is, the true value of the images submitted by participants. With this contest, we have the ambition to achieve two important results: to let participants rediscover the pleasure of creating a photographic project more articulated than the usual single image and to bring out hidden aspects of Naples. For example, there are artists or small artisans who create fabulous things, hidden in a workshop in the historic center and known to a restricted circle of people.
Marco > I also imagine a nice scene in an alley where a group of Sri Lankans taste the ragù of an old lady leaning out of a doorway. The other day I was in a school where the restroom reserved for teachers opened onto a terrace overlooking a courtyard with a beautiful leafy tree in the center. The hidden beauty can be everywhere, it’s a nice photographic hunt and Naples is certainly not short of intriguing cues and situations.
The contest has an entry fee and you also have sponsors…
Massimo > the sponsors are technical and each of them has committed to providing goods and services free of charge in exchange for the promotion of their logo. In short, our sponsors believe in the project as much as we do. And then we also have an exceptional partner, the Touring Club Italiano, which accepted our invitation precisely because it considered the initiative in line with the association’s goals.
Marco > we know there are many free contests behind which often lies the total exploitation of the images sent by participants e this benefits those who organize them because in this way they manage to set up a photographic archive for free to be used later for other purposes such as editorial or journalistic ones with only the promise of publishing the author’s name. For this contest, all images will be used only for the contest itself.
Massimo > and then there’s a practical reason, which is the need to filter some material upstream: only those convinced of their work are willing to make a small investment with a participation fee. It must also be said that the contest had an organizational phase that lasted three months and at least another 2 will be needed to follow all the subsequent phases. Then there are the costs of the site, the graphics and communication, the printing of flyers that will be distributed during the Easter period and May of the Monuments…
What do you mean by “international contest”?
Marco > the call and all the info published on the contest website are also in English thanks to the collaboration offered by Clarence House Academy of Naples and it will also be promoted abroad through our communication channels. Then there will be a targeted campaign in the hospitality facilities of the city and our two coastlines thanks also to the magazine Where aimed exclusively at foreign tourists. We believe that Naples, in order to broaden certain scenarios, should not always play “closed doors”. We must be friendly, hospitable, open, give up a bit of the typical “party for friends only.”
Massimo > and then at the award ceremony the winners will stay for one night in a city b&b. We do not have the possibility to pay for their travel as well but at least the hospitality is covered.
The contest’s goal?
Marco > to discover new points of view to understand how subjective the perception of the Naples brand can be, to experiment with this new formula of underground photographic exhibition which seems to be unique in its kind. It would be nice if this contest became an annual appointment.
Massimo > maybe for the next edition we could also have the winner’s images displayed in large format in the metro art stations… who knows…
A tip for contest participants?
Massimo > those who are from Naples must feel like explorers and those who are not should forget the advice of traditional tourist guides and venture where their senses lead them. Walk a lot on foot, engage in conversations with people, from the alley bartender to the immigrant who works in a house in Posillipo. Get into the most unlikely places, searching for….
Marco > in the literature about Naples there are real gems that allow a better understanding of certain aspects; there is that famous passage about Naples by Goethe in Journey to Italy that excites me particularly. So, knowing a bit of the past through old texts, even poems or songs, helps to better enter the city and understand if there is and where the new, the hidden beauty is.
When do we meet again?
Massimo > June 12 at the Archimedes Hall at Città della Scienza. At 6:00 PM the contest award ceremony will take place with the screening of the winning projects and some chat over a good coffee La Caffettiera or a nice glass of wine offered by the winery Mustilli.
Marco > and then next year for the second edition of the WNP!
Pubblicato in Photography
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