Michele Spatari

currently in Spain michele.spatari@gmail.com

Rising Water
Housing struggle, hope, despair in Italy’s public showers.

Rising Water is a multimedia documentary project on the role of public showers in Turin’s housing struggle.

Communal toilets on balconies, overcrowded apartments, occupied factories, derelict campers, waiting lists for subsidised housing, bailiffs and forced evictions

The most used word in Italy’s last public showers is as simple as, apparently, unattainable: home.

Housing costs account for 36% of the annual expenses incurred by an average Italian family. 2017 saw 32,069 forced evictions, of which 2,799 took place in Turin alone. At an average of seven a day, Turin has the highest eviction figures of all Italian cities.

To cope with its systemic housing crisis – exacerbated by the economic collapse of the 2000s – the city of Turin still runs 4 communal baths offering a basic service for those living in harsh housing conditions. It can be seen as an outdated memory of the past, but municipal baths hide stories of social cohesion and solidarity, still playing a key role in the struggle for a shelter.

While being a needed service, the very existence of these public showers clearly shows the breakdown of our society: the failure of the right to a decent accommodation.

A public showers’ user rest at the entrance of the Public Baths of Via Bianzé in Turin, Italy, on December 06, 2018. The city of Turin still runs 4 communal baths - part of a much bigger series of 15 buildings erected between 1900 and 1960 - offering a basic service for those living in harsh housing conditions.

A shower at the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working-class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on July 12, 2017. Turin has the highest rate of evictions/population in Italy: 2799 forced evictions were executed in 2017 only, on a total of 32,069 in the whole country. An average of 7 every day.

Rok Ibe (30) in the showers’ entrance inside the Public Baths of Via Bianzé in Turin, Italy, on December 06, 2018. Mr. Ibe lives with his parents on the outskirt of Torino; given that they can’t afford to pay housing bills, they are forced to live without heating and hot water.

Council estate, with shared toilets on the balconies, in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 21, 2018. With the economic crisis of the 2000s the city’s welfare cracked. Old apartments without toilets resurfacing on the rent market, lateness in housing payments, raising forced evictions, occupation of empty warehouses and homeless conditions drastically increasing convinced the municipality of the need to reopen the public showers.

Tiziana Sfreddo (59) portrayed in the district of San Salvario in Turin, Italy, on November 10, 2018. Ms. Sfreddo lived 4 years in an occupied abandoned factory; at the beginning of her life on the streets, she stayed 3 months without a proper shower, before discovering the Public Baths.

A woman pass by an abandoned FIAT factory in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 21, 2018. Turin is the country’s third largest economic centre after Rome and Milan, once known as “Italy’s Detroit” for being Fiat – the main Italian automobile manufacturer - headquarter. But the economic conditions forced the closure of many Fiat factories since the 1980s, leaving the city with widespread unemployment and whole areas of abandoned warehouses. These factors coupled with the 2000s economic crisis and a new wave of immigration – this time predominantly foreigners, instead of the precedent wave from south Italy – determined a harsh decline in the housing conditions.

A showers' user that goes with the nickname of "Gino" portrayed at the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 30, 2018. Mr. Gino, his wife and their two children live in an old social housing unit with no shower and a common toilet in the balcony; they use the public showers, twice a week, hoping to save enough money to start a mortgage for a new house.

A tiger statue inside the former council estate building of Jacob Bamba (30), with shared toilets on the balconies, in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 21, 2018. This type of council estate is known as case di ringhiera – railing houses, and refer to social housing units with the typological characteristic of a common balcony leading and generally lacking sanitation in the apartments.

Jacob Bamba (30) portrayed in the rooftop of the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working-class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 25, 2018. Mr. Bamba - who arrived in Turin when he was 18 - has lived for 2 years in a small apartment with 12 people; frequenting the public showers’ social network had allowed Mr. Bamba to free himself of a degrading condition. He now works as cultural mediator and is well-known in the troubled neighbourhood as a social rapper, advocating for migrants’ integration and better life conditions.

Gurpreet Dhindsa (38) portrayed inside his former house in the working class district of San Salvario in Turin, Italy, on November 20, 2018. Mr. Dhindsa lived for 2 years in a small overcrowded apartment – from time to time, even 10 people in a single room. In December, the Bangladeshi apartment owner lock him out at night, forcing him to call the police for the 4th time to enter the house and recover his possessions.

Gurpreet Dhindsa (38) looks out the window from the Red Cross dormitory in Piazza Massaua in Turin, Italy, on December 04, 2018. After being kicked out, Mr. Dhindsa passed the following nights on the waiting room of a near-by hospital and he is now forced to sleep in public dormitories, such as the one in Piazza Massaua, and count on public showers for personal hygiene.

A towel abandoned by a user at the entrance of the Public Baths of Via Bianzé in Turin, Italy, on November 20, 2018. The 4 public lavatories are part of a much bigger series of 15 buildings erected between 1900 and 1960 with different and entangling architecture style, that served as public lavatory and restrooms when the average housing conditions didn’t guarantee toilettes and showers in every house. These buildings have played a consistent role in the development of many neighbourhoods and community. Despite the unavailability of global data on the service, in 2017 more than 4000 access has been counted only in the structure still run by the Municipality.

Marcello Fonti (43) look out of the window of the RV he lives in, parked outside the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working-class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 22, 2018. Mr. Fonti has not a home since 2003, moving around Torino from place to place in his old RV; during the summer he bath himself open air, in rivers and streams, but in the cold months he goes to the Public Baths for a hot shower.

Containers set by the Municipality to be used as emergency shelters for homeless people during winter season in Piazza dell'Armi in Turin, Italy, on December 04, 2018. In the same area are also parked around 50 old RVs where at least 100 people live all year long, with no running water or electricity; many of them relay on the Public Baths during the harsh winter season.

Amadou Diallo (57) portrayed inside the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on December 05, 2018. Mr.Diallo has spent his last 8 years homeless, between the street and municipal dormitories; he’s now hosted in emergency shelters installed by the Municipality in Piazza dell'Armi.

The sleeping room of an apartment inhabited by a family of four, with a shared toilet on the balcony, in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, on July 18, 2017.

A showers' user bends down to grab a soap inside the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on July 18, 2017.

Andrea Rosso (45) portrayed inside the Public Baths of Via Agliè in the working-class district of Barriera di Milano in Turin, Italy, on November 21, 2018. Mr. Rosso separated from his ex-wife in July; since he couldn’t afford a space for himself, he is now hosted on friends’ couches - changing 9 places in 5 months – and became a regular user of Via Agliè’s Public Bath.

A man sleeps inside the Public Baths of via Bianzé in Turin, Italy, on December 06, 2018. In the winter season, public shower's users - especially whose homeless - take advantage of the warm environment to rest for a couple of hours, even if it is theoretically forbidden.

A view of the city of Turin at night from its surrounding hills, Italy, on November 21, 2018.

SHORT DOCUMENTARY: VIMEO LINK

EXHIBITIONS:
2020: Galerie f 3 – Freiraum für Fotografie, Berlin
2020: Lumix Festival, Hannover
2020: Cosmopolis, Nantes
2019: Geopolis - Centre du Photojournalisme, Brussels
2019: FoTo, Torino
2018: Cortona On The Move International Photography Festival, Cortona

EXTENDED TEXT:

Rising Water is an ongoing multimedia documentary project on the role of public showers in Turin’s housing struggle.

Shared toilets on buildings’ balconies, overcrowded apartments, occupied factories, broken down RVs, social housing attendance lists, bailiffs and forced evictions. The most used word in Italy’s last public showers is as simple as, apparently, unattainable: home.

On a population of 60 599936, Istat - Italian National Institute of Statistics - reports that in Italy 28.7% of people are at risk of "poverty or social exclusion". Within this framework, house, water, light and gas account for 36% of the average annual expenditure and in 2017 were executed 32,069 evictions. 2799 only in Turin: it is the highest pro capita rate among Italian cities, an average of 7 displacements every day.

To cope with its systemic housing crisis - exacerbated by the economic collapse of the 2000s - the city of Turin still runs 4 communal baths, offering a basic service for those who can’t count on a home or who do not have a shower in their apartment.

These 4 public lavatories are part of a much bigger series of 15 buildings erected between 1900 and 1960 with different and entangling architecture style, that served as public lavatory and restrooms when the average housing conditions didn’t guarantee toilettes and showers in every house. These buildings have played a consistent role in the development of many neighbourhoods and community, offering basic services to disadvantaged and underprivileged working-class citizens of the so-called case di ringhiera– railing houses, the name used to refer to social housing units with the typological characteristic of a common balcony and generally lacking sanitation in the apartments. Despite the unavailability of global data on the service, in 2017 more than 4000 access has been counted only in the structure still run by the Municipality.

It can be seen as an outdated memory of the past, but with the economic crisis of the 2000s the city’s welfare cracked. Turin is the country’s third largest economic centre after Rome and Milan, once known as “Italy’s Detroit” for being Fiat – the main Italian automobile manufacturer - headquarter. But the economic conditions forced the closure of many Fiat factories since the 1980s, leaving the city with widespread unemployment and whole areas of abandoned factories. These factors coupled with the 2000s economic crisis and a new wave of immigration – this time predominantly foreigners, instead of the historical wave from south Italy – determined a harsh decline in the housing conditions. Old apartments without toilets resurfacing on the rent market, lateness in housing payments, raising forced evictions, occupation of empty warehouses and homeless conditions drastically increasing convinced the municipality of the need to reactivate the public showers.

Housing conditions didn’t improve lately and spending time at the public showers revealed a drastic scenario of daily struggles. Tiziana S. (59) lived 4 years in an occupied abandoned factory; at the beginning of her life on the streets, she stayed 3 months without a proper shower. Gurpreet D. (38) used to live for 2 years in a small overcrowded apartment – from time to time, even 10 people in a single room – until the Bangladeshi owner lock him out in December, forcing him to call the police for the 4thtime. Andrea R. (45), separated from her former wife in July, couldn’t afford a space for himself and he is now hosted on friends’ couches, changing 9 places in 5 months. Amadou D. (57) has spent his last 8 years homeless, between the street and municipal dormitories; he’s now hosted in emergency shelters installed by the city council in a camping spot where already more than 100 people live all year long in their old RVs. Fabrizio and Stefania are occupying a vacant apartment in a social housing unit on Torino’s outskirt, the second one this year; they claim the first eviction got Stefania to abort her 9 months pregnancy. Rock I. (30) lives with his parents out of Torino, but they can’t afford to pay housing bills and are forced to survive without heating and hot waters. Gino, his wife and their two children live in an old social housing unit with no shower and a common toilet in the balcony; they use the public showers, twice a week, hoping to save enough money to start a mortgage for a new house. Jacob B. (30), arrived in Torino when he was 18, has lived for 2 years in a small apartment with 12 people; frequenting the public showers’ social network had allowed him to free himself of a degrading condition and he now work as cultural mediator. Marcello F. (43) has not a home since 2003, moving around Torino from place to place in his old RV; during the summer he bath himself open air, in rivers and streams, but in the cold months he goes to the public lavatories for a hot shower.

Municipal baths, besides offering a basic service for those living in harsh housing conditions, hide stories of daily struggle, social cohesion and solidarity. Each brick, each ceramic tile, each pipe is part of the history and memory of the outskirts of Turin, and still play a key role in mitigating housing degradation phenomena resurfaced in the recent past.