The light of Sicily captured by the “Master of Photography” Vittorio Storaro at Cusumano’s

Vittorio Storaro, one of the greatest cinematographers in the history of cinema, Oscar for “Apocalypse Now”, “Reds” and “The Last Emperor”, commented on the light of Sicily, “I think that since light is a visible energy, it is basically the concept of life. But light is never alone, it has a companion always close by, the shadow. The concept of the word “photography”, from the Greek photo (light) and grafia (writing), is what each of us must consider, in this type of relationship, because only duality between two concepts will find a certain type of answer”. Storaro, together with a team of young directors, portrayed the vineyards of Etna and San Giacomo in Butera di Cusumano, the Sicilian brand led by the brothers Diego and Alberto Cusumano. His photographic work is also the starting point for “Lightland”, an open call launched by “Perimetro”, directed to all photographers, who are invited to interpret the powerful energy of the island.
Vittorio Storaro himself will preside over the jury of “Lightland”, and the selected images will be the stars of an exhibition and fundraising for charity, which will be held in October, in Milan. The proceeds will be donated to the Mario Negri Institute, a non-profit organization that since 1961 has focused on biomedical research at the service of public health. The participants’ images will be viewable on the social media profiles of Cusumano and Perimeter under the hashtag #Lightland.
“The powerful light of Sicily”, Diego Cusumano said, “is the core energy of this land. And, the wines produced here are its ideal expression. For quite a long time, my brother, Alberto and I have been asking ourselves how to narrate this distinctive attribute. Following two long years of darkness, it has now become an urgent matter. The inspiration came when we were making a new wine in the Tenuta di San Giacomo in Butera, where the light is “squared” because it is intensified due to refraction from the very white chalky soil. So, we asked ourselves, who is the greatest International interpreter of light? and, together with Vicky Gitto we thought of Maestro Vittorio Storaro, who responded enthusiastically to the invitation we and Perimeter sent him. Solidarity activities”, Diego Cusumano concluded, “are also another way to see the light again”.
“Sicily”, Vittorio Storaro said, “has the opportunity to cultivate vines in a hilly area near Etna, where over the centuries, due to its innumerable eruptions, a dark layer-almost black-of the soil has formed, meaning that while the plant receives sunlight, the black earth absorbs the heat that warms the roots, creating a conjunction between energy coming from the sky, which is then transformed into heat. In addition, the sun meets a very clear, chalky soil in San Giacomo di Butera in Sicily. Therefore, in its aerial part, the plant receives strong light, while, in the lower part, the fruit and the leaves receive the reflection of softer light, and composite energy. These are two distinct and completely different places that exploit the elements of life — as the Greeks taught us: earth, fire, water and air. The communion between matter and energy (the opposite of matter) form the right balance. The Greeks, coincidentally, in one of the most creative phases of that period, built a temple called “della Concordia”, an example of beauty and architectural balance combining the two parts in harmony, the energy that comes from heaven and the energy the earth offers”.