Sardinia: The speaking walls of Orgosolo
Orgosolo was until well into the 20th century a stronghold of notorious Sardinian banditry, the fiercely fought blood revenge and depressing poverty. In 1969, when it was much more civilized, the population prevented the construction of a NATO military training area in its traditional pastures by opposing collectively to the military. That was the beginning of the Murales, the walls that tell stories.
The fight of the village against foreign powers is a central theme of the Murales.
Cubist tales and glorification of the resistance of the rebellious village, beautiful, but sentimental shepherd scenes, commentaries on political events of the last decades, poems in the Sardinian language, anti-capitalist political agitation in the style of the student movement of the early 70s or Popart. Horses are a natural part of Sardinian life. In the pictures they emphasize the drama of the scenes. Thus, the former rebel’s nest has saved its tradition into a new era, but kindly set up vendettas and raids. Many houses are empty, the place suffers, like most Sardinian villages, under the rural exodus. Many houses are abandoned and decay slowly. That’s why tourists are welcome. Apart from tourism and agriculture, there are hardly any sources of income.
Other villages in the area have a few “Murales”, but here they are part of the village and are carefully maintained. And still the walls tell new stories. So the walk through a Sardinian village becomes a journey through 50 years with its ideologies, dreams and conflicts. Here you can spend days with the camera and will still find new corners and traces of the history of a peculiar Sardinian village. Therefore, a visit to Orgosolo is part of the photo workshop Sardinia in May 2020. Details can be found here and in the blog “Fotoworkshop Sardinia”.
The centuries-old dream of the bandits: the breakthrough into a new freedom.
Other villages in the area have a few “Murales”, but here they are part of the village and are carefully maintained. And still the walls tell new stories. So the walk through a Sardinian village becomes a journey through 50 years with its ideologies, dreams and conflicts. Here you can spend days with the camera and will still find new corners and traces of the history of a peculiar Sardinian village. Therefore, a visit to Orgosolo is part of the photo workshop Sardinia in May 2020. Details can be found here and in the blog “Fotoworkshop Sardinia”.
Not only the pictures themselves but also the juxtaposition of almost incompatible traditions make up the appeal of the “Murales”.
