In the name of light: Cusumano and the “Oscar-winning” master, Vittorio Storaro for Istituto Negri

The patronage of one of the most prestigious Sicilian wine companies such as Cusumano, the artistic authority of Vittorio Storaro, “cinematographer” and master of photography, awarded with three Oscars for “Apocalypse Now”, “Reds” and “The last Imperatore”, and the charity in support of one of the most important research institutions in Italy, such as Istituto Mario Negri of Pharmacological Research: these are the winning ingredients of Cusumano’s “Lightland” project, which raised 8,200 euros in Milan’s Casa degli Artisti, thanks to the generosity of photography enthusiasts who responded to Christie’s invitation to participate in the auction held yesterday, October 25, in order to bring light and hope to those suffering from serious illnesses through the valuable work of Istituto Mario Negri of Pharmacological Research. The result of a project that saw Storaro “walk” the vineyards of Etna and San Giacomo in Butera di Cusumano in May and make photographic and video contributions focused on the light of Sicily with a team of young directors.
Starting from these contents, an Open Call was opened in June for a large collective of photographers invited by Perimetro, a community magazine that tells the urban territory (100 photographers for Bergamo, United Photographers for Ukraine) to capture the relationship with an image between light and mother earth. A jury chaired by Storaro selected the 36 images auctioned at the Casa degli Artisti in Milan from over a thousand photos collected. But the solidarity does not end there: until Christmas, it will be possible to support the project by purchasing some of the selected photos at https://lightland.marionegri.it.
“Sicily has had the opportunity to cultivate vines in a hilly area near Etna where, over the centuries, thanks to the many eruptions, a dark, almost black layer of soil has formed which absorb the sun heat that warms the roots, creating a conjunction between the energy coming from the sky and that one which is transformed into heat”, tells Vittorio Storaro. Also in Sicily, in San Giacomo di Butera, the sun meets a very clear, calcareous soil, so the plant receives an incident light in the aerial part, while, in the lower part, the fruit and the leaves receive the reflection of a suffused light, composing energy. Two particular and completely different places that exploit the elements of life, as the Greeks teach us: earth, fire, water, and air. The union of matter and energy creates the proper balance. The Greeks, coincidentally, built a temple called “della Concordia” during one of their most creative periods, an example of beauty and architectural balance that combines the two parts in harmony with the energy that comes from heaven and that offered by the earth.”
“The powerful light of Sicily - adds Diego Cusumano - is the energy of this land. And the wines are the expression of this. For a long time, my brother Alberto and I have been wondering how to tell the distinguishing feature of light. After two long years of darkness, the question has taken on the utmost urgency. The spark that - it must be said - enlightened us, was ignited during the work with the new Fosnuri wine (pure Syrah cru, ed.) in the Tenuta di San Giacomo in Butera where the light is “squared” due to refraction of the particularly white calcareous soil. Who is the greatest international interpreter of light? With Vicky Gitto we thought of Maestro Vittorio Storaro who responded with enthusiasm to the invitation we sent him together with Perimeter. This is how Lightland was born! “Also the solidarity purpose is a way to see the light again, alluding to the hope that research instills”, concludes Diego Cusumano.