Comments on: valentina riccardi – no rent

By: No Rent | Giambattista Pace Scrapbook

No Rent | Giambattista Pace Scrapbook — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:43:10 +0000

[...] http://www.burnmagazine.org/works-in-progress/2012/01/valentina-riccardi-no-rent Tweet [...]

By: Fabian Gonzales

Fabian Gonzales — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:40:15 +0000

A wonderful essay. Very intimate and sensual. I really like it. Great work, Valentina.

Great discussion on here, too. I very much agree with Gordon, but I also find the other viewpoints interesting. In a way the controversy only strengthens the essay – forces you to think, as well as sense and feel.

I once read that before agriculture, in ancient hunter/gather societies, they spent only four hours of the day working, and spent the rest of the time playing, if you will. They also lived in communities similar to this, so in a sense these people are going back to their evolutionary roots. Which I find interesting.

Of course the hard work and structure of modern societies affords many luxuries the ancient ones did not have, such as the already mentioned digital cameras, or on a more serious note, medicine and a more stable food supply. But clearly we lost something in the process – more I think, than we realize.

By: robert blu

robert blu — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:04:36 +0000

An aspect of Ibiza I did not know: interesting idea for an essay and I would like to congratulate Valentina for it. I like the square format in the photos. But what I find interesting is the discussion that these photos have made happens, this is the power of photography, at least here on Burn. Living in Italy I must sadly agree with Eva about taxes …
robert

By: Jonathan VDK

Jonathan VDK — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:37:38 +0000

Nicely shot but too long for me.

Is good to see some MF work on here too. Some really gorgeous images. But i think this story could have been told with half of them gone.

By: Imants

Imants — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:46:43 +0000

As far as the squatters …….ah you are only young once maybe with a bit of luck you will be able to claim the properties as their own

By: Jordan Weitzman

Jordan Weitzman — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:34:21 +0000

Valentina,

brilliant and moving work! thanks for sharing.

Jordan

By: billy_mac

billy_mac — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:26:54 +0000

Thanks for this Valentina.

Wow, I loved this project… it seems you have immersed yourself in your work, right up to your neck.
Please don’t pull yourself out yet.. let yourself go, I say!

I hope this work finds the audience it deserves.

By: mw

mw — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:05:10 +0000

Ah well, we pay a lot more for a lot worse.

By: Frostfrog

Frostfrog — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:01:07 +0000

Akaky – Glad to see you feeling healthy enough to get out and make cynical statements that you hate to make.

By: Imants

Imants — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:44:41 +0000

Now back to those glass beads can I trade them for a photograph as the greengrocer doesn’t accept beads for cabbages

By: Imants

Imants — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:42:54 +0000

the working folk pay for all

By: Imants

Imants — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:21:59 +0000

It is all a bit like fare evasion on the local bus ……..

By: Gordon Lafleur

Gordon Lafleur — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:34:58 +0000

Eva, no argument there from me. That leaves just regular working folks to pay the bill.

By: Akaky

Akaky — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:21:00 +0000

AKAKY: You know, I hate to be cynical-

AKAKY IRL: No you don’t.

AKAKY: Shut up, nobody asked you.

AKAKY IRL: Okay.

AKAKY: Okay? That’s it? You’re not going to argue?

AKAKY IRL: Nope. I am enjoying my few moments out of the house and I’m not going to spend them arguing with you.

AKAKY: That’s nice.

AKAKY IRL: Thank you. Now you can go back to lying through your teeth.

AKAKY: Anyway, I hate to be cynical, but this lifestyle reminds me of something a rich supporter of Mahatma Gandhi once said about that great man: ” It takes a lot of money to keep the Mahatma living in poverty.” The photographs are great, though.

By: panos skoulidas

panos skoulidas — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:29:54 +0000

oh yea…lets not talk about tax evasion of politicians stealing money from donations to pay their mistresses…

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/us/politics/edwards-needs-heart-surgery-delaying-trial.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha24

By: eva

eva — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:15:22 +0000

Ahh, Gordon.. there are plenty of weathly, help me say WEALTHY!! people out there, a lot of them sitting in the government or other key positions, not paying taxes because their affaris are located in some fiscal paradise.. evading much more than a bunch of hippies could.. perhaps that doesn’t happen in Canada (where my hippy brother lives, btw, paying taxes, btw), but for sure it does happen in Italy.

By: panos skoulidas

panos skoulidas — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:11:09 +0000

what was the last time u saw a great camera “born” in Ibiza? or Topanga California? or Woodstock?
he he…people there have more important things to do, like live the good/relaxed life (hippies or not)and their best to avoid slaVORY….unlike the chinese “hippies”…why hide behind a camera while u can actually “live that moment” instead of simply “recording” it for later?????
why not live the “NOW”??? why only invest in the “Later”???
see the paradox? no we didnt have fun that night on my cousin’s wedding..it was boring and we all wanted to live early..but months later, all is left was a smiling photo that everyone looked happy and smiley like they won the lotto or something…that photo lied…whats the point to avoid the “now”???
Maybe those hippies know a thing or two more than the rest of us that judge them…only time can tell!
Patience

By: panos skoulidas

panos skoulidas — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:04:10 +0000

If everyone lived the carefree hippy life, who would make these cool cameras
—————————–
Jim, dont worry..the Chinese will do it anyways…and all big corporations enslave young kids in the 3rd world to work in those corporate factories for $5 a day…or to make those gorgeous 5D’s and D4x’s etc…for 3cents per hour etc..
The corporations already know that the “hippies” are not that desperate to do it…so they recruiting “slaves”=workers (any way u wanna call it) by the millions!
so we can buy this $10 Wal Mart sexy button shirt that says Polo, forgetting that the 10 year old kid that had only 5 minutes to finish it , or else….(use your imagination)
Ahhh its another great day for the big corporations out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

speaking of china and iphones, check mass hysteria here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/technology/apple-suspends-iphone-4s-sales-in-mainland-china-stores.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25

By: Gordon Lafleur

Gordon Lafleur — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:56:15 +0000

Sam, Paul
Sorry to generalise.
I have many close “hippy” friends, including my hippy wife Martha, http://www.pbase.com/glafleur/image/113313751 who lived the dream for more than twenty years, living off the grid, growing her own food, slaughtering her own animals, taking part in anti logging protests. Many are very hard working, and very committed to the alternate lifestyle. Others are un-ashamedly committed to working as little as possible.
I have huge respect and admiration for the whole concept and mind set, although I often smile at the naive assumptions people have about such a life.
Is such a life style actually possible without the external engine of a lively economy beside it? Well, just in the little island microcosm of hippiedom that I am familiar with (and a part of), there are about 300 permanent residents. There is a government ferry that services the island, with heavily subsidised fares. You don’t want to know how much diesel fuel that ferry burns on a single round trip {sometimes with more crew aboard than passengers}. there is a road system maintained at government expense, a school, with two teachers, and support staff including bus drivers and custodians even though there are only just over a dozen students. A health nurse who comes over once a week. Then of course there is all the other govt infrasturcture on the mainland, health care, roads etc etc. Obviously, the “simple living” island residents, few of whom pay taxes, are living their lifestyle at the expense of those who go to work every day and pay their taxes.

I’m not complaining about it, just pointing out the illusion.

By: mw

mw — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:18:54 +0000

No worries Jim. Most people are congenitally incapable of leading a carefree happy life. Your camera fix is secure, as is your supply of photo essays of which to disapprove. Personally, I enjoy that kind of lifestyle but find little interest in the photographs. Nothing wrong with them, probably just a case of same old same old on my part, a condition of which many will be immune, so it’s as valid a subject as any.