ANNA BRENNA

One of the most enduring  myths is the concept of extreme limit or last frontier. The Pillars of Hercules in classic literature indicate the extreme limit of the known world. They also express the concept of “limit of knowledge”, besides a geographical  sense. Geographically, as their existence is uncertain, they are supposed to be located in correspondence of the Rock of Gibraltar (British Enclave in Spanish territory) and of Jebel Musa in Ceuta (Spanish enclave in Moroccan territory), which are respectively on the European and the African Coast. According to mythology, Hercules separated the mountain which was located here in two parts (the two Pillars of Hercules) and engraved the words “nec plus ultra” (literally “nothing further beyond”). The crossing beyond the pillars represented an unattainable goal, an unreachable destination for human beings, the extreme borders of earth beyond which was the “hellish darkness”.  According to the tradition, the pillars of Hercules mark a sort of journey in the afterworld, in the great unknown.

This project reflects my perception of these places: atmospheres suspended between past and future, between dream and reality, between myth and legend, between Africa and Europe, in a sort of  limbo, of passageway swallowing humanity. Rarefied dimensions where wind, sun and sea create almost ethereal atmospheres.

“If there is a place, in the world, where you can think you are nothing, this place is here. It’s no longer earth, it’s not sea yet. It’s not false life, it’s not true life. It’s time. Time passing. And nothing else.” A. Baricco