Yes to All – a photographic investigation on the anthropization of the Alps by Mattia Micheli and Nicolò Panzeri, published by Emergenze Publishing. With Mattia Micheli and Antonio Brizioli

Many have photographed the Alps in search of naturalism, tradition, wilderness, and purity. These concepts belong more to the imaginary mythology of the mountains than to the current anthropological dimension, which is full of contradictions and habits that damn well resemble those of the rest of the world.

The ultimate symbol of wild, unspoiled nature, this vast and inaccessible territory was for a long time exempt from the typical realities of the capitalist system. While gruelling natural conditions and the harsh mountain winters once kept human activities in check, nowadays winter has become the most profitable season of all in the Alps, attracting vast numbers of tourists. Over the years, the distance between the city and the mountains has shrunk enormously, making the latter environment increasingly attractive as a place to live: accessible, idyllic and welcoming. The breathless glorification and relentless advertising of the cultural identity of the Alps have, ironically, lead to its total annihilation. The desire to drag the glaciers down to the levels of mass tourism, not to mention the cumulative effects of the climate emergency, has left its mark for all to see in the outline of these anthropized Alps.

Yes to All has been created to capture this deceptive spectacle, where scenes of city life, cars, engines, concrete, cables, elegantly dressed women, outlandish fashions and modernity are all fused together with the dwindling remains of Alpine traditions. The new, all-inclusive mountain: a fierce empress seduced by the temptations of urban life.