«I can change the world», From the theory of values to action. The new Lavazza calendar 2022 it celebrates six activists, indeed “artivists”, each of whom every day builds a virtuous bridge between their own activities and the challenges that the world has to face, on all those relating to climate and human rights. The group presented the new work in Florence, in the history of Palazzo Vecchio and in the course of the The Renaissance Awards organized by Eco-Age, an international agency for the development of sustainable business strategies.
In the twelve months, the events of six protagonists very different from each other in age, culture, geographical origin follow one another but united by very powerful personal stories and the ability to represent in an artistic form – music, dance, land art, design – their activism. To immortalize them, the three-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki, aka Chivo, awarded for three editions in a row of the Academy Awards for “Gravity” (2014), “Birdman” (2015) and “The Revenant” (2016), master in the use of natural light and the long shot filmography which includes, among other titles, “Y tu mamá también”, “The tree of life” or “Alì”.
In continuity with the group’s initiatives and with the 2021 calendar “The New Humanity”, the Lavazza 2022 Calendar – a project conceived and implemented under the creative direction ofArmando Testa agency – immortalizes with two shots each, for two consecutive months and at different times of the day that follow the scan of the 24 hours, men and women who express their activism in the social and environmental fields through different artistic forms. We start with a superstar, the musician Ben Harper committed against social inequalities and in raising awareness of the effects of the climate crisis, which for the occasion also played his song “With my own tow hands”, the soundtrack of the calendar. Then there are Saype, pioneer of sustainable land art with his monumental works for the protection of the planet and social cohesion; the Afghan refugee rapper Sonita Alizada, active in reporting forced marriages and child brides; the jewelry designer Shilpa Yarlagadda which promotes and supports female empowerment; the marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier with his photography documenting the progress of the destruction of the oceans and finally the street dancer Shamell Bell which fights against racism, sexism and homophobia.
«With the 2022 Calendar we want to celebrate the stories of those who, with exceptional artistic talent, dedicate every day of their life to put into practice what he believes in to make the world a better place, and of those who, moreover, can give us an open and uncontaminated gaze capable of free ourselves from all constraints which can hold us back in the action of uniting us all for the common good of us and the planet – he explains Francesca Lavazza, member of the Lavazza Group Board – we want to convey a message of confidence in the possibility of changing ourselves and, all together, of changing the world ». Lavazza therefore wants to embody the new culture of responsibility and sustainability, which obviously is not only told through the calendar but is expressed every day through the actions of its sustainable entrepreneurship, as indicated by the Group’s purpose “Awakening a better world every morning”. But also the concept “Blend for better»Which embraces the group’s sustainability initiatives: not only producing excellent quality coffee, but also doing it responsibly by blending the values, experiences and sustainability activities of its brands and products to generate shared value for society, people and the environment. A summary of this is the Lavazza Group Sustainability Report «A goal in every cup – Leaving no one behind», Recently published, and the commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
After last year’s multi-voice calendar and the international Good Morning Humanity campaign, Lubezki therefore gives a unique and distinctive style to this year’s work, telling us about the personalities of the six protagonists with shots both in the foreground and in their own context of reference. and protagonists. It is added to the list of the best photographers in the world, from David LaChapelle a Steve McCurry, who in thirty years have shot for Lavazza. The 56-year-old Mexican cinematographer was chosen not only for his recognized talent but to take a different, broader and deeper look at the protagonists’ feelings, according to a closer approach to the art of cinema than photography. The result is in fact a dynamic and very filmic result: dreamlike but at the same time able to illuminate some natural places on the planet, sometimes emblematic of the impact of climate change such as glaciers that are melting. Always in dialogue with the immortalized subjects, such as water for the marine biologist Mittermeier or the rock for a strong personality like the street dancer Bell.
“The locations chosen around the world show the signs of climate change – explains Lubezki – the shots put us in front of alarming realities: glacial lakes that disappear overnight and roads so hot they melt the tires. All of this made me tremendously aware of the fact that we desperately need the voice of these activists. Their work challenges us, creates a community, prepares us more for the beauty of the world and makes us stronger in countering what endangers it. Glaciers have almost disappeared, algae dominate the oceans. As artists, as authors and as entrepreneurs we have a responsibility to draw attention to these issues and solve them, as well as paying tribute to those who bring about change and come down to their side “with our own two hands” just as Harper sings ».
Each of the six protagonists declines the commitment in their own way, according to their talents and interests. Shamell Bell she is a dancer, choreographer, activist of the Black Live Matter movement, documentary maker and PhD in Culture and Performance at the University of California-Los Angeles. Of his own, in the calendar, he brings the disruptive power of dance, especially street dance: «African Americans have always danced to break free, in dance there is something powerful – he explains to VanityFair – something that goes beyond words, to where they do not reach. The dance is easily taught and contains, in its DNA, the aspect of commitment, it immediately creates a movement. It is not a metaphor: while dancing you listen to the change you are fighting for, as we have done on several occasions, for example in our street demonstrations in front of the Los Angeles Police Station. In dance there is one collective healing“. Which is what we need to change the world.
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