Critical Minerals: Geography of Energy

In the photographer’s on-going, long-term study, he questions the current reorientation of the energy industry towards renewable sources, and problematises the resulting and complicated geopolitical, social and ecological effects, using the examples of cobalt and copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper and lithium mining in Chile, and the extraction of nickel in Indonesia. In his multi-layered series he shows the landscapes and industrial complexes, as well as the people who live and work there.

LFI: Congratulations on this year's LOBA. Was it clear from the start that the project would also be presented in a film?
Davide Monteleone: The video part was conceived from the beginning and is an integral part of the complete project, together with the photographic part and the data visualisation part. The three elements can also live independently, but the best form of use is with all the elements and in installation form.

The film is currently also being presented in the LOBA 2024 exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar. In your opinion, what can a film show that photographs cannot capture?
In my new way of conceiving projects, the combination of transmedia elements is increasingly important. The photography certainly remains important, but the complexity of the themes dealt with is enriched by content that better enables the story to be understood. The video part certainly enriches the emotional experience with sounds and moving images, also focusing on the human condition that is more marginal in the photos.

How much film material was taken in total?
Approximately 30 hours of footage over the course of 4 trips. We have, and are working on, different edits depending on the final use (installation, short doc, social etc.).

Photography is usually a lonely job, whereas film is usually teamwork. How did you experience the different ways of working?
I believe that the mode of operation of producing visual (photographic and transmedia) projects has changed over the years. For my part, this is the second long-term project where I am not working alone, but in a team and with several collaborators, including local ones. I find it challenging, effective and also necessary.

Will you use both image forms for your work in the future?
Absolutely, unless some specific subject could only work with photography. I choose the visual medium I need to explore the story in the best possible way I can envision.