Matteo Capone
SIN
9 December - 15 December 2020



SIN is a photographic documentation project that focuses on topical issues like pollution and environmental protection.

In Italy there are 12,482 potentially contaminated areas; 38 are considered highly polluted. Indeed, the “Ronchi Decree” (1997) established to distinguish and declare them Sites of National Interest (Siti d’Interesse Nazionale), because of their precariousness.

The work concerns three SINs located in central Italy: the municipalities of Bussi sul Tirino and Piano d’Orta in Abruzzo; Terni and the small hamlet of Papigno in Umbria; Orbetello in Tuscany.

All of these sites are located near naturalistic and tourist areas; in addition, there is a similar pollution. All have former factories of the Montecatini mining and chemical company (1888-1966), active or abandoned chemical poles, asbestos in a pulverized state and huge waste dumps that arise in the valleys or are stationed underground.


Bussi sul Tirino - Piano d’Orta
42º 13’ N 13º 49’ E

Bussi sul Tirino and Piano d’Orta are two municipalities in the province of Pescara (Abruzzo), which arise near the Gran Sasso Natural Park.

They present toxic waste dumps, active chemical poles, former Montecatini factories and a power plant. The soil, the subsoil and the aquifers are particularly polluted due to the spillage of mercury, lead, hydrocarbons and arsenic, among others.


Orbetello
42º 26’ 22’’ N 11º 12’ 45’’ E

Orbetello is a city in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), which rises at the foot of Mount Argentario.

It has a former Montecatini factories which produced chemical fertilizers. The company’s waste was buried during its underground activity; asbestos in the polvirulent state instead prevents the reclamation.

Terni - Papigno
42º 34’ N 12º 39’ E

Terni and the small hamlet of Papigno rise a few hundred meters from the famous Marmore Falls.

Terni is a city founded on industry, in particular on the steelworks, which is still active today. Papigno has former Montecatini factories, where chemical fertilizers were produced, and a huge landfill where the waste from the Terni industry is collected.

Matteo Capone (b. 1997, Rome, Italy) is a visual artist and photographer based in Italy. In 2020 he graduated with honors in Photography from the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Rome.

This institute allowed him to learn and deepen the world of photography and to mature as an author. The visual arts have always intrigued and fascinated him and he chose to become a photographer to get to know different places, people and cultures.

Matteo Capone actively contributes to regional and national social issues, he’s interested in the research and visual documentation of current issues as environment and pollution.

In 2020, Matteo also completed his first photobook called ‘SIN’ as a result of his photo thesis project for his last year at IED. For 2021, he has been planning his first exhibition in Rome at the ‘Austrian Forum of Culture’.