Book Review: Habitat by Alberto Gandolfo

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Book Review: Habitat by Alberto Gandolfo

February 22nd, 2025 by Walter Borghisani

Habitat ©Alberto Gandolfo

Habitat, contextualized to the human race, can be defined as the set of environments, both natural and artificial, in which people live, work, relate and carry out their activities. It includes both physical spaces and the social, economic and cultural dimensions that influence human life. The human habitat has a significant impact on people’s health, well-being and quality of life. A healthy, safe, welcoming and stimulating environment promotes the physical, mental and social development of individuals and communities.A sustainable human context meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This involves responsible management of natural resources, reducing environmental impacts, promoting social equity and building resilient communities.

When all the previous conditions are not met, when an environment does not present characteristics favorable to development and well-being, people move. The relationship between human habitat and migration is a complex and constantly evolving theme, deeply rooted in the history of humanity. Exoduses have always been a fundamental component of the human experience, often triggered by the search for a better, safer or more opportunity-rich context.

Italy, due to its conformation and its exposure to the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa, has always been a land of passage. Immigration in Italy is a complex phenomenon with various economic and social facets. One of these is the link with undeclared work, a gray area in which migrants often find themselves operating. The factors that lead to illegal work are of different nature. The main motivation that pushes migrants to accept irregular jobs is the need to earn money for themselves and their families back in their countries of origin. Often, job offers on the black market are the only ones immediately available.

Many migrants who enter the country without documents are also in a vulnerable position. Lack of documentation makes it difficult to find employment, pushing them towards “undocumented” work as their only alternative means of subsistence. Even migrants with regular documents may face difficulties in finding regular work due to discrimination, lack of recognition of professional qualifications or language barriers.

Undeclared work damages a country’s economy, depriving the state of tax and contribution revenues that could be used for public services and welfare. And it creates unfair competition against businesses that operate regularly, damaging the healthy economy. Undeclared workers are often subjected to exploitation, with low wages, excessive working hours and precarious working conditions. Migrants who work irregularly are often excluded from social and trade union rights, living in a condition of marginalization and vulnerability. Among the sectors most involved in the phenomenon of illicit work in Italy are construction and, above all, agriculture. Fruit and vegetable harvesting, for example, is a sector that often uses illegal labor, with difficult working conditions and low wages.

And it was precisely the irregular workers in the agricultural sector that were the starting point of Alberto Gandolfo’s work, who began, in 2020, to travel to southern Italy: starting from Sicily, to continue with the regions of Calabria and Campania, with the aim of documenting the living conditions of migrants without a residence permit employed in illegal work.

In Sicily and Calabria, Habitats are informal settlements that follow the seasonality and the places of certain harvests.They are precarious settlements that are sometimes removed by the police and then reappear, after some time, a short distance away. They are “housing solutions” that are different from those that the collective imagination might suggest to us. They have nothing to do with, for example, the improvised bed, close to a sidewalk, of a homeless person. But they are settlements in which the desire is evident, the attempt to identify a place in which to settle down to build one’s own home. A dwelling. Alberto Gandolfo’s research starts from these premises.

“The photographer focuses on the non-places where the illegal settlements arise. He records the characteristics: the noises of the fields, the din that can be heard at the beginning of the working day, the voices of the people, the stories. He visits, when possible, the dwellings. […] The portrait becomes the way to tell fragments of lives of passage, the means to bear witness to their existence and evidence.”

[Benedetta Donato]

The photographs in Habitat capture places, people, and “houses”. Layers of materials for different structures. But also layers of thoughts, of those portrayed and those who portray, which accompany the suspended atmosphere typical of non-places. It is not dramatization, or the search for a certain type of spectacularization, in these shots. It is not discomfort, but only a great dignity. And a deep bond that is revealed between people and, ultimately, the precariousness of their homes. And the search for stability.

Habitat ©Alberto Gandolfo

Alberto Gandolfo’s journey then, from the deep south of Italy, moves to Campania and becomes more complex. The scenes become more complex, as do the housing solutions that become real homes.

“The abusive and abandoned buildings of Castel Volturno, in fact, house irregular workers who settle in a more stable way by organizing themselves in more structured communities. Common traits emerge that underline the need of the human being to create a place of reference, a refuge to which to make the domicile of one’s identity correspond.”

[Benedetta Donato]

The narrative is enriched with names, doors, beds and sheets and blankets, manifestations of passions, corners that transform into testimonies and memories. People, individuals. Rights. Legal entities. The contours become less labile.

Habitat ©Alberto Gandolfo

Habitat tells us about challenges.

Migration represents a complex challenge for human habitats, but also an opportunity for growth and development. It is essential to manage exoduses in a sustainable way, promoting integration, social cohesion and the valorization of diversity. The future of the human dimension and migration is closely linked to the ability to address global challenges, such as climate change, economic inequality and humanitarian crises. It is necessary to rethink development models, promote environmental and social sustainability and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live in a dignified and safe context. The relationship between human habitat and movements is a crucial element for understanding the social, economic and natural dynamics of our world. Addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities related to migration is essential to build a more sustainable and inclusive future for all.

And, in conclusion, Habitat suggests many reflections. One above all is related to the fact that many peoples, such as Italians, are no longer able to relate to their migrant past.

Habitat
By Alberto Gandolfo
Edited by Benedetta Donato
Designed by Tomo Tomo
Texts by Benedetta Donato, Cecilia Ferrara
Hardcover
21 x 28 cm
104 pages
84 color ills.
English, Italian

Published by Kehrer Verlag.

About Walter Borghisani

www.walterborghisani.com

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Location: Online Type: Book Review, Documentary, Habitat, Migration

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