«Le scorie di Monte Torri»
2020
The slag of Monte Torri
In Malcantone, which was known for its numerous gold mines, one single site is known, on the south-eastern slope of Monte Torri, where iron was extracted between 1823 and 1827. The iron mines and the remains of the smelting furnace are witnesses to iron ore processing as it was common since ancient times.
Around the smelting furnace, below the galleries, I found scattered pieces of slag, which may well be two hundred years old. Slag (scoria) is defined as "that which is thrown out of the furnace as impure" or as "something defectively precipitated". These impure and defective pieces fascinate me because of their primeval and archaic appearance.
