About the project
The exhibition Saut d'Eau - Haiti, by the famous fashion photographer Stefano Guindani, was held in the marvellous setting of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence; it is dedicated to the photographs taken in Haiti before, during and after the 2010 earthquake. The most recent photos taken by Guindani in Haiti portray evocative moments of the Catholic and Voodoo ritual, Saut d'Eau, which in the month of July pushes thousands of pilgrims to the falls of Sodo', where, it is said, 150 years ago it appeared the spirit of the Virgin Mary. The ancient ceremony includes an ablution under the waterfall, in this way the Haitians practicing the Voodoo hope that Erzulie Dantor, Spirit of Water, Motherhood and Love, give them a moment of peace and happiness, removing suffering, hunger and poverty. Catholics, on the other hand, mean this ritual washing as an act of purification and rebirth. The exhibition was inaugurated in the Sala d'Arme, also present Martina Colombari, godmother of the Francesca Rava Foundation. The exhibition was staged in the Cortile della Dogana di Palazzo Vecchio where, for the occasion, Paola Turci and Paolo Fresu gave a charity concert for the children of Haiti. All proceeds from the initiative were donated to the Francesca Rava Foundation - N.P.H. Italia Onlus, for the Saint Damien Children's Hospital in Haiti. Honegger, official partner of the event, was engaged with the artistic direction, as well as the ideation and realisation of the exhibition space.