With Torbola 31, Santiago Martinez playfully dissects concepts of image production. Using a deconstructed photocopier mounted with a large-format lens that directly prints A4 photocopies, he returns to the physicality, instantaneity and mechanical tinkering of pre-digital photography. 

The project was developed during a residency in the Verzasca Valley, where Santiago carried his equipment on a trailer attached to a bicycle. Pedalling up and down the valley, he scanned the surrounding territory in a performance that mimics both the movement of the photocopier sensor and the treks of early mountain photographers carrying heavy wet-plate cameras to capture the peaks. 

Rather than embracing an idealised view of Alpine landscapes, Torbola 31 adopts an anti-sublime approach, grounding an over-romanticised subject in grit, labour and play. The resulting images swing between representation and abstraction, making room for defiant interpretations and photographic (re)imaginations. 

(text by Gregory Tiani)