ISPA WINNERS 2022


PHOTO STORY

FINALIST


Christian Velcich


UNDER THE FLEECE

The Zeri Valley is an ancient mountain crossroads located in Lunigiana, a borderland between Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. Here one can still breathe ancient traditions, live in harmony with natural rhythms, and a community of women shepherds is dedicated to a silent and slow type of farming. The consortium of which they are a part, "Valli di Ziri" is dedicated to preserving, while continuing to breed, the prized native breed of sheep, the zerasca, of which there are today about 3,000 specimens, a number that fully inscribes it among the endangered breeds. Among their goals also purpose the preservation of the environmental heritage with the reintroduction of ancient crops and rural building rehabilitation. A life choice dedicated to sacrifice, where freedom is not linked to disengagement but to caring for others. A return to the origins to protect biodiversity and under the banner of a deep bond between man, nature and animals.






Biography

Born in Florence in 1995. After completing his studies, he started working in the film industry. He then went on to obtain a diploma in photography from CFP Bauer in Milan and attended a documentary photography course at the Fondazione Studio Marangoni. In 2021, he participated in the British Journal of Photography's “Edition 365” exhibition. In 2022, he was selected for the Cesura Collective's “Photobuster” residency project and took second place in the “Werther Colonna” portfolio award at the SI Fest in Savignano sul Rubicone.

Christian Velcich


FINALISTS




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