ELEONORA CAVALLINI

Re-belonging

Fine Art and Design

When you write about nature, you mention it is a “non-judgmental space.” Do you understand that as an alternative to social structures? Do you think the relationship to nature can also function as a form of resistance to the pressure of being constantly productive?
Exactly – I perceived immersion in natural landscapes, away from urban environments, as a way to reconnect with a relational belonging beyond socially constructed frameworks. It becomes a space where you are less defined by judgement or expectation. In that sense, yes, the images and the interactions between my body and nature become a way of processing reality. Alongside a sense of slowing down – almost like a pause from the pressure of producing and doing.

In your work, embroidery does not appear only as decoration, but rather as a form of feminine memory. Do you think about it as continuation of a collective history?
I do. While working on the photographic series, I felt the feminist part missing. So, by thinking about how to build that connection, I realised the new generations are lacking knowledge on some practices once considered part of everyday life by our grandmothers. I thus asked both my grandma and the older generation around me to teach me their techniques, so I could contribute to keeping this shared heritage alive while paying tribute to women who used these crafts to escape the reality they were forced into.

You said that belonging does not have to be connected to a specific geographical place. Does it mean that “home” can be connected to people, environment or even your own body?
Of course, I believe that we are the home we decide to create around ourselves; whatever is created by people we care about, places which make us feel accepted and allow us to relax. I think the project is rather about how the body can interact with its surroundings to make you feel at home, more than feeling it in your body. I hope this makes sense. I believe we can all make sense of it in this way.

photo: Polina Davydenko