honorable mention
Francesco Merlini italy
Photo © Francesco Merlini
title
(untitled)
According to a well-established custom, which has been going on since 2008, every year, the slopes of this glacier are covered with geotextile sheets placed by the Pontedilegno-Tonale consortium to protect it from melting. These sheets are made of polyester and polypropylene fibers and are 3-4 millimeters thick. Lying on the glacier, they reflect sunlight and protect the underlying snow and ice layer from heat and ultraviolet rays. 25 meters long and 2 meters wide, they are placed in June and removed in September by specialized workers who, moving as equilibrists on the ice, unroll and sew together this huge blanket which, with the help of snow fired from ten snow cannons, protects and consolidates the glacier below (technically we speak of "ablation"). This summer, the sheets made it possible to save 2 meters of ice, in line with the trend of recent years.
Francesco was born in Aosta in 1986 and he’s based in Milan. After a bachelor's degree in industrial design at the Politecnico University of Milan, he completely devoted himself to photography. After covering Italian news, he now works mainly on personal long-term projects, reportages and editorials, always looking for a point of contact between his photojournalistic background and a strong interest for metaphors and symbolism.
In 2016 he was selected by the British Journal of Photography in order to be part of “The Talent Issue: Ones to Watch" and in 2020 Francesco was shortlisted for the “Prix HSBC pour la Photographie”. In 2021 he's been one of the nominees for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award.
His pictures have been published on national and international magazines and newspapers including Washington Post, Financial Times, Le Monde, L'Espresso, Internazionale, Corriere della Sera, D La Repubblica, Wired, Gq, Rolling Stone and his projects have been exhibited worldwide in collective and solo exhibitions.
Francesco’s first book “The Flood”, published by Void, has been released in 2021.
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entry description
A view of the Presena glacier, near Passo Del Tonale (Italy) covered with geotextile sheets placed by the Pontedilegno-Tonale consortium to protect it from melting during the summer months. This type of coverage is used in various ski resorts in Italy, France, Austria and Germany.According to a well-established custom, which has been going on since 2008, every year, the slopes of this glacier are covered with geotextile sheets placed by the Pontedilegno-Tonale consortium to protect it from melting. These sheets are made of polyester and polypropylene fibers and are 3-4 millimeters thick. Lying on the glacier, they reflect sunlight and protect the underlying snow and ice layer from heat and ultraviolet rays. 25 meters long and 2 meters wide, they are placed in June and removed in September by specialized workers who, moving as equilibrists on the ice, unroll and sew together this huge blanket which, with the help of snow fired from ten snow cannons, protects and consolidates the glacier below (technically we speak of "ablation"). This summer, the sheets made it possible to save 2 meters of ice, in line with the trend of recent years.
about the photographer
FRANCESCO MERLINIFrancesco was born in Aosta in 1986 and he’s based in Milan. After a bachelor's degree in industrial design at the Politecnico University of Milan, he completely devoted himself to photography. After covering Italian news, he now works mainly on personal long-term projects, reportages and editorials, always looking for a point of contact between his photojournalistic background and a strong interest for metaphors and symbolism.
In 2016 he was selected by the British Journal of Photography in order to be part of “The Talent Issue: Ones to Watch" and in 2020 Francesco was shortlisted for the “Prix HSBC pour la Photographie”. In 2021 he's been one of the nominees for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award.
His pictures have been published on national and international magazines and newspapers including Washington Post, Financial Times, Le Monde, L'Espresso, Internazionale, Corriere della Sera, D La Repubblica, Wired, Gq, Rolling Stone and his projects have been exhibited worldwide in collective and solo exhibitions.
Francesco’s first book “The Flood”, published by Void, has been released in 2021.
back to gallery
