The White Forest That Never Was: Antonioni's Unpainted Pines and Camporesi's Homage

In Ravenna, a pine forest holds a curious story tied to Michelangelo Antonioni's 1964 film 'Deserto Rosso'. During filming in winter 1963-64, the director envisioned a scene where pines would be painted white to symbolize alienation amid industrial growth. Despite approval, technical issues—broken paint pump, unexpected sun, frost concerns—forced Antonioni to abandon the scene. In 2012, photographer Silvia Camporesi recreated the unrealized vision as a tribute for Antonioni's centenary. She crafted miniature pines (10 cm tall), painted them white, and staged the scene with a smoke machine, later printed large-scale. The work, 'Il bosco bianco' (2012), was commissioned by Rete Almagià, Ravenna, as part of 'Appunti per un Terzo paesaggio' (2021) curated by Sabina Ghinassi. Camporesi also visited the ex-S.A.R.O.M. area in Ravenna, where the film's iconic cooling towers stand, now a site of natural regeneration with gulls nesting on unused chimneys.