Right place wrong time

The naturalistic diorama is an educational tool and at the same time a magical, safe window onto exotic landscapes and fierce animals that we could hardly observe up close. It is the ultimate incarnation of the Wunderkammer, in which not only curious objects brought from distant countries that inspire wonder are displayed, but are also artificially recontextualized in a setting rich in details that approximates as closely as possible their place of origin. In this staging the animals become the characters of a story and are placed in the space in a sculptural way that follows their traits and habits with the dual intent of illustrating and spectacularizing: the Cabinet of Curiosity meets the theatre.

It is no coincidence that the invention of the modern diorama is attributed to Daguerre: as in a photograph, time inside it is suspended, the fauna appears caught by surprise by a flash, ready to be inspected carefully. This artifice, seemingly harmless, however carries a darker undertone: this representation is the product of invasion, violence and conquest; it is the assertion of power exercised by humans over wild nature; it is the consequence of Western colonialism exhibited within the walls of a museum. In experiencing the diorama, we do not merely look through the landscape (from the Greek dià, through, and orama, vision) but indirectly we are taking possession of it.

In Right place, Wrong time, the animals are not in the diorama: we face a photograph taken at the wrong moment in a place where sooner or later animals will pass, but certainly not simultaneously and above all not right now. In contrast to Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment, here we encounter the ordinary moment: the silent, unwitting revenge of free creatures who have no interest in showing themselves or being known.