Tasmanian Italians ONLINE GALLERY

These images originate from Teodino Ottavi’s collection. They are personal photographs, which he took during community events and arranged for his own retention, but relate to migrant experiences that are shared with other Italians in Hobart. Their value does not lie in the artistic execution of the photographs but in the emotional investment involved in their creation and in their juxtaposition, which translate individual and societal activities within the community into a private narrative. In actual fact, the gallery is made of ‘pictures of pictures’, that is, photographs of Ottavi’s archival material taken by a researcher. This way of enquiring into the accumulation of memory accounts for the process of discovery of this hidden repository as well as the distancing filter that accompanies the research. The photographs intentionally show the occasional ‘traces’ of the act of re-tracing such as involuntary glares, glitters and blurs, thus exhibiting their imperfect tangible qualities.

: First outing of Italian Language classes and pensioners to Hastings Cave, 10 February 1985

: Pizza-making in Tasmania

: Music, Australian flags and duct-tape

Picture 1: Day trips were among the most popular activities of Italians in Tasmania, intended to create connections between generations. This image captures the first of these events, which still shows a neat separation between older and younger members of the community. The caption, added by the organizer Teodino Ottavi when creating his album, is hand-written and carefully dated. The glare over the plastic cover reveals the presence of the researcher leaving a trace in an effort to re-appropriate the photograph.

Picture 2: Preparing traditional food is seen as an instrument to create a sense of belonging to food ways. Two girls proudly show freshly-made pizza dough, while two other girls keep working. The adults overlook the kneading and participate in the exhibition of this shared but homely community event. On the table-top there is also an espresso cup, where traditionally yeast is mixed with lukewarm water before being added to the flour.

Picture 3: Two community members play the accordion and sing at a gathering in the great hall of the Italian club in Hobart. Italiannness is culturally translated in Tasmania also thanks to the creation of hybrid settings where various affiliations coexist. The researcher holds this photograph while framing it with his own camera, partly capturing other images and revealing not only the duct-tape and the tablecloth in the background but also his own interacting with these memories.