in girum imus nocte

During the night of 4 December 2014, in the heart of the Sulcis Iglesiente area of Sardinia, an action by artist Giorgio Andreotta Calò took place, involving some ten local miners following a ritual path from dusk until dawn. Setting out from the very bowels of the Nuraxi Figus mining plant, the miners made their way towards Punta Trettu, where they were awaited by a group of fishermen who would ferry them to the island of Sant’Antioco. On their arrival, a boat was consumed by a fire. The community gathered around the flickering flames to witness the metamorphosis of the vessel into ashes and charcoal. This was the night of Santa Barbara, the patron saint of miners, and the Sulcis area was on the verge of a historical turning point: after more than a century of production, it had been announced that the mines would be closed down. Midway between political demonstration and pagan ritual, in girum imus nocte was more than a mere collective ritual. And this book, ten years after the action took place, reflects on its poetical, political and anthropological aspects, outlining a circular path that holds out against the prospect of a definitive end.