An art project that places man at its centre; a collective of artists in search of a rediscovered humanity
In a changing scenario in which barriers and distancing between individuals, communities and nations become necessary, Lavazza is trying to build bridges between people, drawing them closer through the universal language of art, the one capable of speaking to the heart of us all. Its aim is to show human beings’ extraordinary resilience and generate feelings of hope that will make it possible to build a “New Humanity.” A wake-up call to individual sensibility in the hope that from this long and difficult period we may see the rebirth of a society that values solidarity, inclusion, tolerance, and sustainable development, values that also guide Lavazza Group’s business.
Such is the background to The New Humanity 2021, a Lavazza art project conceived and developed under the creative direction of ad agency Armando Testa. It puts the individual at the centre by offering a collection of original artistic contributions from outstanding exponents in the world of photography, but also music, poetry, design, architecture and social activism.
Lavazza is trying to build bridges between people, drawing them closer through the universal language of art, the one capable of speaking to the heart of us all
The New Humanity 2021, conceived and nurtured last spring, during the lockdown months, features a calendar and a magazine for the first time available to the public worldwide in a limited edition under a fund-raising project in support of Save the Children, the NGO that since over 100 years, fights to save children at risk and guarantee them a future, of which Lavazza is the longest standing partner. On auction.lavazza.com, in collaboration with the platform CharityStars, between November 12 and 26th, one thousand 2021 Lavazza calendars were offered for sale and 12 original photos were auctioned, with the proceeds going to support New Horizons, a project for the most vulnerable young people in India (in the Calcutta area). Lavazza has been supporting this project for the last three years through ‘A Cup of Learning’, an international programme (in nine countries) run by Fondazione Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza that provides training for socially underprivileged young people seeking employment.
In The New Humanity 2021 calendar, 13 masters of photography present a new vision of humanity that reflects their personal viewpoints and styles. They are David LaChapelle, Simone Bramante, Martin Schoeller, Ami Vitale, Christy Lee Rogers, Steve McCurry, Joey L., Carolyn Drake, Denis Rouvre, Eugenio Recuenco, Charlie Davoli, Martha Cooper, and TOILETPAPER.
The New Humanity 2021 magazine also has six cultural “ambassadors” called on to explore and amplify the multiple meanings of New Humanity and stimulate even deeper reflection on the process of restarting and reopening, starting from their own personal experience and sensibility. They are architect Carlo Ratti, designer Stella Jean, writer Alessandro Baricco, actress Kiera Chaplin, singer-songwriter Patti Smith, and Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing. They work in worlds parallel to photography that enrich our interpretations of the concept of New Humanity using different languages and forms of expression: a design, a written thought, a piece of music, an architectural project…
The thirteen photographers and six “ambassadors” are the artists and intellectuals engaged by Lavazza in an avant-garde cultural movement whose collective force is inspired by the concept of The New Humanity: each of us may identify with one or more of these works, remembering how we are all interconnected and how we must now try to stay united in order to be reborn.
Credits: Ph. Christy Lee Rogers