TURIN, Italy, Sept. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A mine in Norway turned into a data centre, harnessing the coolness of the underground and sea waters; a nuclear reactor transformed into an amusement park; Ligurian basil cultivated underwater. These are some of the stories showcased in the exhibition ‘Luca Locatelli: The Circle’, which will open its doors to the public on September 21 at the Gallerie d’Italia of Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin. The exhibition, scheduled to run until February 18 and curated by Elisa Medde, guides the audience through 18 stories in 10 European countries (6 stories are set in Italy), documented by Locatelli during his journey into the circular economy in Europe.

Supporting the photographer in his work is Intesa Sanpaolo, in collaboration with Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and Fondazione Cariplo, with specialised support from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “We must take responsibility for the planet,” emphasised the president of the Board of Directors of Intesa Sanpaolo, Gian Maria Gros-Pietro. “I was deeply struck by the urgency with which we must respond to the situation. In half a century,” he continued, “we have reduced the planet’s biodiversity by more than half. This change, which has occurred in 50 years versus the estimated 3.5 billion years since life has existed on the planet, when compared to a 24-hour day, is equivalent to little more than a thousandth of a second. This gives us an idea of the extreme urgency to change the way we are impacting the planet.” According to Gros-Pietro, Intesa Sanpaolo “shares the responsibility of guiding the European economy towards a positive and sustainable evolution.” To achieve this, there needs to be a “shift from linear production models, which turn resources into products and then into waste, to circular economy models that ensure the recoverability of materials and resources. However, this requires changing the scientific principles on which products are based, altering their design, and all production cycles, which requires substantial investments that must be socially sustainable. Therefore, it is necessary to communicate this need, and for us, art is a very important tool to this end.”