Passaggio a Nord Est

In 2015, the Balkan migration route became one of the main entrances to the European Union for migrants from the Middle East. Within the Italian reception system different professional figures are activated and social workers are some of the main actors. Those who should make the principles of protection and protection of asylum seekers concrete.
The high expenditure of emotional and physical energy that this work entails generates an intertwining of private and professional space that if not controlled can evolve into Burnout Syndrome.

The layout of the exhibition Passage to the Northeast is simple and straightforward. The theme of waiting lists, long and sometimes resolution-less bureaucratic processes, translate into gridded, schematic and impersonal corridors, as if each story were nothing more than a list of cases to be filed.
The oppressive nature of the singularity, categorisation, and the feeling of being trapped in an invisible prison for an indefinite period have been reflected in the design of the exhibition module: a grid clamped between two concrete slabs.

Photographic details of everyday life unfold in a state of suspended animation. Viewers observe the photographs through a grid, occasionally catching a glimpse of the faces of the people on the other side as if they were imprisoned.

Although visitors are free to follow their own route through the exhibition, they respect the open aisles, proceeding step by step, piece by piece. On the wall, a projection slowly displays the coordinates of the Balkan Route that migrants from the Middle East follow to reach Trieste, one after the other.

In the background, you can hear informal interviews with social workers that were recorded by Luca Pradella as part of his photographic research project. These accounts help raise visitors' awareness of the profession.

At the back of the hall, a stage had been set up – a symbolic space made of concrete blocks held together by a lorry strap. This improvised, grassroots stage was designed to give a voice to those who needed to speak out.
Thanks to Mirko Baccichetto, a social worker from the Nuovi Vicini association in Pordenone, we were able to share some personal accounts on stage.

On the occasion of “World Refugee Day 2022” in Pordenone, Passaggio a Nord Est was revived, renewed in form, as a photographic exhibition in collaboration with Cooperativa Nuovi Vicini Pordenone. The event testifies to a renewed need for awareness and information about the figure of the social worker.