Client: Ghella spa
Year: 2019

A photographic campaign, curated by Alessandro Dandini de Sylva and commissioned by Ghella spa – a company founded in 1894 and specialized in underground excavations for the realization of major infrastructure projects – published in the book Di roccia, fuochi e avventure sotterranee (Quodlibet, 2021).

The photographs taken by Andrea Botto in the construction site of the Brenner Base Tunnel, that will unite Italy to Austria beneath the Brenner Pass, present themselves as the summary of a performative action: the certified miner, the person authorized to handle the explosive, puts into scene a long succession of preparatory activities which culminate with the spectacular explosion of the excavation face.