When you come from a country like I do, where green and blue are clearly the most dominating colors, you will hardly be able to imagine that elsewhere humans and animals live in landscapes that may seem a bit hostile and perhaps even scary to us.
As a child I felt that way when I thought of the desert. Then I was really scared of landing at a place without any water, and the idea of crossing the desert without any protection, exposed to the heat and to thirst, was a nightmare for me.
Today, although I still know that I wouldn’t be made for life in the desert, it keeps fascinating me in an incredible way.
When I was driving through the Nevada and Arizona deserts a couple of years ago, I didn’t grow tired of the endless scenery and thousands of different red color tones. Those colors definitely intrigued me the most. The sunsets behind the red and brown rocks in the Grand Canyon, which changed their colors like a chameleon with the movement of the sun, are among the most beautiful impressions I’ve seen in my life so far.
In his photo series “Neon Desert”, Stefano Gardel transported me back to that wonderland of desert landscapes. The Milan-born photographer has captured the ever-changing sceneries in the desert, which change in the interplay with the sun, in a very special magical way. And when I look at his photos, I automatically feel like waking up in a dream world.
What do you think of the pictures? Are you fascinated by the beauty of the desert the same way as I am?
Photos: Stefano Gardel
