Page 65 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - 3-2020

menzionano: un minore stress e
la condivisione di tutto il lavoro
e delle preoccupazioni della vita
quotidiana di entrambi i sessi. La
serie fotografica qui presentata
prende in considerazione gli ef-
fetti socio-culturali della società
che invecchia, passando in ras-
segna l’invecchiamento in salute
in Sardegna, mostrando come i
centenari possano vivere felici.
I volti e le storie dei protagonisti
esprimono immagini leggendarie
di centenari che rendono ragione
di un secolo di storia, rispecchian-
do nelle loro facce e nei loro corpi i
paesaggi della loro memoria.
Karsten Thormaehlen, nato a Bad
Kreuznach (Germania) nel 1965,
ha lavorato come direttore artisti-
co e creativo nella pubblicità per
quasi dieci anni dopo aver studia- double the number of people reaches 100
to design della comunicazione, years compared to the overall European
average. And there is another special fea-
ture: while women normally live on avera-
ge six or seven years longer than men, in
this region the average age is equivalent
in both sexes. There are many reasons that
explain this exceptional longevity. In addi-
tion to physical activity and a balanced
diet, studies mention: less stress and the
sharing of all the work and concerns of
daily life for both sexes. The photographic
series presented here takes into consi-
deration the socio-cultural effects of the
aging society, reviewing healthy aging in
Sardinia, showing how centenarians can
live happily. The faces and stories of the
protagonists express legendary images
of centenarians who explain a century of
history, mirroring the landscapes of their
memory in their faces and bodies. All the-
se images have in common the beauty
that old age can have, but also the expe-
rience of life, expressiveness or vulnerabili-
ty. The look in Thormaehlen’s faces places
old age in an artistic context and allows
us to take an encouraging, sometimes
comforting, look at our future. As an ar-
tist, he wants to restore dignity to old age.
And he wants to put a counterpoint to the
mostly negative images that we have of
old age in our times, creating images that
do not reduce it to poverty, loneliness and
dementia. His work is a corrective in a so-
ciety that still marginalizes old age and
death. Karsten Thormaehlen, born in Bad
Kreuznach (Germany) in 1965, worked as
an artistic and creative director in adver-
tising for almost ten years after studying
communication design, including five in
New York where he developed campaigns
and commercials for luxury brands with
well-known photographers and directors.

www.karstenthormaehlen.com

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