Sulle tracce di Grazia Deledda
with Valentina Tamborra
16-20 November
From November 16 to 20, 2026, the MAN Museum in Nuoro presents Sulle tracce di Grazia Deledda, a photographic storytelling workshop led by Valentina Tamborra, marking the centenary of the writer’s Nobel Prize in Literature.
The project weaves together photography, literature, public space and performing arts, bringing participants and the local community together to create contemporary portraits inspired by the characters of Canne al vento and Cosima.
What remains today of Deledda’s characters in the people who inhabit the places where her stories unfold? This is the question at the heart of the project. Cosima, Efix, Noemi, Giacinto and the other figures from the two works symbolically step out of the pages to encounter the faces and bodies of the present, moving through places where Deledda’s writing continues to leave traces, memories and questions.
Actors, students and local residents are invited to reinterpret the characters, working alongside the participating photographers. Each portrait emerges from the relationship between a literary figure, the person who lends them their face, and the place chosen for their encounter. Through the gestures and experiences of the performers, the project explores the tensions that run through Deledda’s works: desire and convention, guilt and atonement, departure and belonging. Reading thus becomes the starting point for a visual exploration of the present, one that also questions the images through which we have come to recognise Deledda and her world over time.
Nuoro and its surrounding territory play an active role in shaping the images. Mount Ortobene, the writer’s home and the landscapes associated with her work form the geographical backdrop of the project, providing the setting for the photographic sessions. Locations will be selected not only for their connection to Deledda’s life and writing, but also for what they have become and for the relationships, memories and transformations they continue to generate in the present.
The project is organised in collaboration with Sardegna Teatro/TEN Teatro Eliseo Nuoro, as part of Drammaturgie del Destino, curated by Il Mutamento Zona Castalia ETS.
The Workshop and Fieldwork
The operational base will be in the space of Isola di MAN, which will host meetings, discussions of the texts and review sessions. The preparatory phase will involve assigning a character to each participant and reading selected passages that explore the character’s personality, relationships and conflicts.
An individual exploration of the city and surrounding area will accompany the reading: a period of observation, listening and walking during which each participant can deepen their relationship with the character before meeting the person portraying them. Dialogue with the performers will guide the development of the environmental portraits.
Valentina Tamborra will lead individual and group photography sessions, practical exercises and review sessions, culminating in the selection of images and the creation of a narrative sequence. Alongside individual portraits, the project may also include group photographs in which several characters interact within the same space.
The project will culminate in an exhibition curated by MAN, featuring a selection of portraits accompanied by excerpts from Canne al vento and Cosima, as well as materials documenting the creative process. Texts and images will retrace the characters’ journey, from their encounters with the performers to their passage through the local landscape.
The Presentation of Anime artiche
On Wednesday, November 18, at 6:30 pm, the programme will include the presentation of Anime artiche. Una trilogia, Valentina Tamborra’s new book published by Marsilio. Through Svalbard, the Lofoten Islands and Finnmark, the book tells the stories of communities in the far north and their relationship with an environment undergoing change, exploring the bond between people and the places they inhabit—a central theme of the workshop as well.
Valentina Tamborra
A photographer and journalist, Valentina Tamborra focuses primarily on documentary photography and portraiture, weaving together words and images. Her practice develops through encounters with people and communities, and through close attention to the territories they inhabit.
Participation and Information
To register, email info@museoman.it, indicating your preferred time slot: morning or afternoon. Participants are required to bring their own camera, a laptop and a notebook.
MAN – Museum of Art of the Province of Nuoro
Via Sebastiano Satta, 27 – Nuoro, Italy
Tel. +39 0784 252110 · info@museoman.it · www.museoman.it
