LS VII: Memoria

During the summer of 1941 these white limestone hills saw the massacre of between 4000 to 10000 people, the exact number is uncertain. It’s Slana concentration camp, on Pag island, Croatia. The prisoners corpses were piled high in mass graves or thrown into the sea after they had been executed or had died by exhaustion. This document from lieutenant Santo Stazzi, who took charge of the disinfection of the camp when it closed down in September 1941 tells a story of brutality, fear and annihilation (from Day 3 on: www.jadovno.com/translation-of-original-italian-documents.html). I’ve spent a lot of time walking on this peninsula: sharp stones, heat, the glare of white reflection, thirst, silence, peace. Time stands still when I'm there, the place radiates serenity and what happened only a few decades ago is inconceivable. But its presence is around; still, at night you breathe quietly and stare into the void. This is what they saw.