Michele Fossi

SVALBARD SOVIET ERA exhibition in Milan @nuovoanfiteatromartesana 💥photos by me, Text by @michelefossi 💥Located halfway between Norway and the North Pole, this abandoned Soviet mining outpost is a surreal blend of block-style housing and stunning glacial cliffs. Every Weekend in March 📍 NAMA - Parco della Martesana, Milan . . . #svalbard #leicasl #leicaworld #norway #exhibition

For these chilling winter days, I suggest a slow, icy journey north. I’ve just uploaded my article “Barent’s Five – A tale of ice, isolation and obsession”, originally published in The Travel Almanac #25, now available on my website. /2024/12/22/barents-five-a-tale-of-ice-isolation-and-obsession/ ““Among the most fascinating aspects of a trip to the Svalbard archipelago, the northernmost inhabited land in the world, are the legacies of adventure nestled among the cracks of the perennial glaciers. These stories speak of men contemptuous of danger, determined to reach a ‘beyond’ imagined by the mind, whose call, like Ulysses’ sirens, cannot be resisted. One such tale centres on the Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz’s obsession with finding the Northeast Passage, a navigable route through the Arctic region to China. Over the course of three missions at the end of the XVIth Century, this fixation led him firstly to travel off course and ‘discover’ the Svalbard archipelago and then later become trapped in the ice of the Russian seas. With enormous effort, Barentz and his men reached the island of Nova Zembla where they built a cabin from driftwood, a shelter known as the Behouden Huys [Safe House], and survived an entire winter by makeshift means. Enduring great hardship, two crew members died on Nova Zembla, including the carpenter who built the cabin. The survival of Barentsz and remaining crew during the brutal Arctic winter of 1596-1597 is testament to human resilience, but.when the arrival of summer failed to free their ship from the ice, Barentsz was forced to lead his men on a perilous journey in an open boat. Tragically, he died a few days after leaving the wintering site, succumbing to general fatigue and scurvy, along with two other sailors—their graves have never been found. Only 12 of the original 17 crewmen made it back to Amsterdam, yet their legacy continues to inspire adventurers and explorers centuries on, as vividly captured in the detailed accounts of Gerrit de Veer, one of the survivors”.

Read “The Politics of Warnings—On the Collapse of Meaning, the Terror of Thinking, and the Civilisation That Automated Its Own Despair”, my interview with philosopher Santiago Zabala, published in DUST magazine #27. In his new book Signs from the Future, philosopher Santiago Zabala (@beingatlarge ) argues that philosophy’s role today is not to offer answers or salvation, but rather to act as a warning—a fragile gesture of care that asks us to pay attention to what we usually ignore. He believes our biggest crisis is not climate change or technology itself, but our growing inability to feel these crises at all. We live surrounded by predictions, statistics, and algorithms that tell us what will happen next, but what really counts are those warnings that require us to think, to change, to get involved. Zabala, who was raised in Rome, Vienna, and Geneva, is now an ICREA Research Professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelo- na. He writes with urgency and clarity. He connects philosophy to everyday life—from Greta Thunberg’s protests to artificial intel- ligence, from Heidegger’s questions about technology, to the silence around Gaza. His goal is simple but radical: to make us listen again to warnings. For him, philosophy is not a theory but a form of attention—a way of staying awake when everything around us encourages sleep. @dustmagazine

Read my interview with @kristen_mcmenamy in the 15th Anniversary issue of @thetravelalmanac . Kristen McMenamy didn't just model the fashion of the 1990s; she dismantled the decade’s definition of beauty. In an era still intoxicated by the perfect, sun-kissed supermodel ideal, she arrived like a provocation: alien, angular, androgynous, and utterly unwilling to smile. She redefined beauty as raw, honest, and almost uncomfortable. (...) "In high school, classmates nicknamed you “Skeleton” for your lanky frame. That’s often cited in your story. Can you remember what that felt like — and whether it shaped how you see yourself and your work now? The first time I was mocked, I was maybe nine or ten. They called me names — Skeleton, Greaser — because I wore greasy makeup to cover my ugly face. I hated it. They even shot rubber bands at my arms and said, Let’s try to break the skeleton.That shocked me, but it also made me think: okay, at least I’m different. It’s terrible when you’re a kid, but something about that puts you outside the norm — and that’s where strength begins. When you’re teased, it’s always about how you look. I wanted to be liked, desired, beautiful — not normal, but extraordinary. I wanted to be adored. That became my driving force. Madonna declared that the loss of her mother left a void she tried to fill with the love of millions. Do you think the desire to be seen or adored often begins in the places where we weren’t loved enough? Madonna reacted to losing her mother — that’s huge, something that breaks your life in half. I reacted to something smaller, or at least it looks smaller from the outside. But maybe it’s the same thing. Because I didn’t get much love either. I didn’t get anything from my parents, really, except whacks and punishments. They were too young — too many kids, too little money. My mother was frantic all the time; she’d just hit us and yell, Get outside! She had seven kids. My mother was frantic all the time — she’d just hit us and yell, Get outside! She had seven kids. So, yeah… maybe it comes from the same place. The wish to be loved, or at least included — included among the beautiful ones."

Read on michelefossi.com the integral version of my interview with icon @lindaevangelista , which was published in The Travel Almanac issue #23. It was a special, fun but also pleasantly intimate conversation. 💌 Linda Evangelista’s remarkable fashion journey began in a modest bedroom in St. Catharines, Ontario. Adorned with pages torn from fashion magazines, enchanted portals into the dazzling world she longed to join, her bedroom walls served as a canvas for teenage dreams. Little did she know that, just a few years later, her aspirations would propel her to the fashion world’s zenith, standing alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer as one of the renowned supermodels of the ’90s. A remarkable talent for transformation quickly became the trademark of Evangelista—a chameleon who effortlessly embodied various characters, moods and eras, wearing her hair in nearly every colour imaginable. This adaptability and willingness to push boundaries, coupled with her glamorous beauty and palpable effortless charisma, were the cornerstones of her success, solidifying her reputation as one of the industry’s most iconic faces. The new book, Linda Evangelista Photographed by Steven Meisel, the acclaimed New York photographer’s long-awaited retrospective monograph, celebrates their enduring 25-year collaboration. Regarded as one of the most influential partnerships in fashion history, their creative synergy, depth and transformative style have resulted in an array of unforgettable and iconic images that captivate audiences worldwide, often setting fashion and beauty precedents. In a conversation via Zoom, Linda discusses her relationship with Meisel, revisits the highlights of her career in modelling, reveals her health challenges, and recounts her journey towards overcoming them. It’s a multi-faceted narrative that weaves together elements of fairy tale with moments of adversity, ultimately culminating in liberation from fears, as well as personal growth.

Read “Earth’s Lullabies: The Sacred Act of Singing to Nature”, my Interview with artist Marco Barotti @marcobarotti , published in @dustmagazine #27. In this age of ecological crisis and technological acceleration, artist Marco Barotti offers a strikingly poetic countercurrent: he listens. And then, he lets the Earth sing. From the depths of coral reefs to the hidden networks of forest fungi, Barotti’s work merges shamanic chant, environmental data, and machine learning into artworks that feel part ritual, part science fiction. His “Technosciamans” don’t just process information — they perform speculative healing rituals, singing to nature in a language that bridges code and cosmos. In this conversation, Barotti takes us from Ayahuasca ceremonies in the Peruvian jungle to underwater sound experiments in the Maldives, tracing the evolution of a practice where song becomes both memory and future — one in which taumaturgic chant, both ancient and reimagined, might help restore damaged ecosystems. He introduces us to curanderos who sing back the Amazon, to Sámi joikers defending the Arctic, and to the silent hum of coral — revealing a planetary culture of chant that modern science is only beginning to understand. In a time when the world feels increasingly disconnected from its roots, Barotti’s work reminds us: the Earth has always had a voice. We just need to remember how to listen — and perhaps, how to sing back. Michelefossi.com

Hugging trees with Lea in Anton-Saefkov Park, 21.05.20 💌

Read “The Dance of Defying”, my article about the origins of Voguing published in The Travel Almanac’s issue 23, in November 2023. (Link in bio) This article is dedicated to O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer who was tragically stabbed to death at a gas station in Brooklyn, New York, on July 30, 2023, while voguing with friends to a Beyoncé song. May we always remember the importance of safe spaces and honour the courage of those who boldly express their true selves. ““At its core, Voguing is about narrating a tale”, explains Adonis Vais, one of the protagonists of Athens’ relatively young voguing scene, known in the ballroom as Adonis Telfar. “Dancers use their bodies to weave stories of emotions, victories, battles, and even throw ‘shade’, a playful mockery or challenge, toward their rivals. The dance’s distinct elements breathe life into these narratives”. For instance, the Catwalk, reminiscent of the poised strides of runway models, exudes confidence and style, while the Duck Walk, with its squatting posture and vivacious footwork, encapsulates both audacity and exuberance. Intertwined with these are Floor Performances, which involve dynamic movements and choreography on the ground, a metaphor for life’s highs and lows, as well as elaborate Hand Movements. “Their intricate gestures, reminiscent of sign language, communicate a spectrum of emotions, from yearning to ecstasy, becoming de facto the dancer’s voice”. Special thanks to @adonisvais for inspiring the article and fact-checking it. @thetravelalmanac

Read my article “King Solomon’s Ring Reimagined: How AI is Decoding Animal Language”, published in @dustmagazine Issue 26, “Uncancelling the future”. (Check michelefossi.com ) For centuries, the question of whether animals possess meaningful language has sparked curiosity and debate. Dr. Con Slobodchikoff, renowned for his pioneering research with Gunnison’s prairie dogs, has brought us closer to an answer. His studies reveal that prairie dogs communicate not just with generic alarm calls but with a sophisticated system capable of describing predators by size, shape, and even clothing colour. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that complex language is uniquely human. In this conversation, Dr. Slobodchikoff shares insights into the growing field of animal communication research. From dolphins using signature whistles as personal identifiers to elephants vocalising unique rumbles for specific herd members, the evidence suggests that many species possess intricate and nuanced communication systems. With the rise of artificial intelligence, researchers now have tools capable of decoding these systems at an unprecedented level, uncovering patterns and structures akin to human language. This is more than an academic pursuit. Understanding animal communication offers profound opportunities for conservation and could reshape our ethical relationship with the animal world. AI, often viewed with apprehension, emerges here as a force for connection, enabling us to bridge the divide between species. As Dr. Slobodchikoff’s work demonstrates, this is not just about understanding animals better—it’s about creating a future where technology helps us coexist more harmoniously with the natural world.

Read my Interview with Berlin‘s Icon DJ Luigi Di Venere @luigidivenere for @sickymag (Link in Bio). Photography @poloparkpolo Art Direction and Styling @katiemarlborough_ Luigi Di Venere, born in Puglia, Italy, and now based in Berlin, is a prominent figure in the electronic music scene. He began his career as a resident DJ at Cocktail d’Amore, a renowned party series in Berlin. His talent quickly gained recognition, leading to regular performances at esteemed venues such as Berghain/Panorama Bar and the fetish club Lab.oratory. Luigi's musical style is deeply rooted in Italo house, cosmic Italo disco, techno, New Beat, and trance. He is particularly known for his luxurious cosmic soundscapes and explosive combinations. Michele:In this continuous process of discovery, what have you uncovered within yourself, music-wise, that you didn’t expect to find? Luigi: Well, when I first heard techno it seemed so impossible, so unfathomable. At some point I started to dig it, I found my key and a whole new world opened up. I discovered the ability to play with such abstract music, to master this wave of energy and to constantly shape it during a set. Not that you can’t do that with house music, but techno is all about that, being so stripped down from the orthodox harmonies and the embellishments of other genres within club music. It is so primal! I found the shaman in me. Michele:Since you use this word, let me share that I’ve always perceived going to techno clubs—Berghain above all—as something akin to a religious experience. People come together to partake in a kind of modern ritual, where the DJ takes on the role of the priest, and the music becomes the deity. Can you describe how it feels, on an energetic level, to officiate these almost spiritual ceremonies? Luigi: It feels as if many emotions are passing through the body. There are moments of excitement, building up to cathartic instances, alternating with moments of deep satisfaction and well-being. You feel the vibe of the room deeply, sometimes it is almost tactile. When the groove takes over and it is the sonic illusions in between that count, the actual music is very intense.

Read my article “The Sunctuary of Silence”, published in The Travel Almanac’s issue #22, dedicated to a special building, in Auroville, India, I visited with Eleonora @_atthelove_ in March last year. (Link in bio) “At the heart of Auroville, a utopian community in Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1968 with the ambitious aim of promoting human unity, the Matrimandir stands as a majestic presence. This colossal edifice, with its radiant spherical dome clad in golden discs, dominates the town’s lush forests, resembling a spacecraft that has descended from a distant world. Completed in 2008 after 37 years of meticulous construction, the Matrimandir was conceived by Auroville’s founder Mirra Alfassa, a spiritual leader known as “The Mother”, as a universal space for “focused contemplation”, open to individuals from all creeds and cultural backgrounds. A one-of-its-kind architecture rich in symbolisms, the Matrimandir’s geodesic structure has often been likened to a colossal lotus flower, an emblem of enlightenment across Asian cultures, signifying the emergence of the soul from the muddy waters of material existence into the pure air of divine enlightenment. This symbolic association is further reinforced through twelve imposing earth-red structures that, like petals, encircle the dome. The ramp-like configuration of these structures presents the golden dome as if it is surfacing from the ground, metaphorically embodying Auroville’s declared other mission besides fostering peace among the nations: to usher in a higher form of consciousness on Earth, igniting humanity’s spiritual awakening. /2024/01/04/the-sanctuary-of-silence/ #matrimandir #auroville #themother #mirraalfassa

My first article for @presentspacemag was such a pleasure to write. It delves into the intricate interconnectedness of Earth’s ecosystems, emphasizing how much remains unknown and how all societies could gain valuable insights by embracing millennia of Indigenous knowledge. It also introduces philosopher and environmentalist Adina Popescu’s groundbreaking project, AErth—an AI-driven digital twin of our ecosystems that seeks to capture this complexity, incorporating Indigenous wisdom to guide us toward a more sustainable future. “Amidst the plethora of dystopian AI scenarios circulating in recent years, the prospect of creating an artificial brain for the Earth guiding us humans towards Her own—and hence our own—wellbeing is, ultimately, a comforting one.“ Full Team Credits: Words: Michele Fossi @michelefossi Photographer: Emily Rosser @emrophoto Photography Assistant: Arvin Rusanganwa Set Designer: Jeremy Reimnetz @jeremyreimnitz Creative Direction: Juan Duque @duque.j , Nima Habibzadeh @nimahabibzadeh AErth: Adina Popescu (@aaaadina ) Www.aerth.live “ Who would have thought that the wind over the Sahara’s dunes is responsible for the lush vegetation in the Caribbean? Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa travels across the Atlantic Ocean carrying phosphorus—a nutrient which can boost the growth of plants and reef-building organisms. On many tropical islands in the Caribbean and beyond, flying foxes (large fruit bats) are also key to forest health due to their role in seed dispersal. These bats can travel great distances, carrying seeds from the fruit they eat and dropping them in new locations. This ability makes them vital for regenerating cleared or degraded lands. Unfortunately, they are often targeted because they are mistakenly seen as pests or hunted for bushmeat, jeopardising the ecological benefits they provide. “