The History of Forced Labourers

Larissa Bertonasco visualised Marino Ruga’s diary entries in three emotional live illustrations for Hamburg Wasser.

Larissa, you realised a moving project for Hamburg Wasser on the history of forced labourers during the Second World War. How did this collaboration come about and what touched you personally about Marino Ruga's stories?

This spring, I had already painted a wall at the harbour on behalf of Hamburg Wasser for Water Day - but perhaps they also thought of me for this project because part of my family comes from Italy! The topic really touched and interested me, because I didn't know that after Italy's capitulation in September 1943, over 15,000 Italian forced labourers were interned in Hamburg. Many of them also had to work for the Hamburg waterworks.

Recently, I have been intensively analysing Italy's fascist past. At the age of 18, my grandfather was sent by Mussolini from his home village in Liguria to Ethiopia to fight in the colonial war - he probably experienced and committed terrible atrocities there.These traumatic experiences often continue to have an impact on subsequent generations.I think it's very important that Hamburg Wasser deals with such difficult topics and works through them transparently! Sometimes it takes several generations to be able to talk about such experiences and speak openly. Marino Ruga's diaries were also only discovered and published by his son Gianni after his death. His reflections and thoughts about the war and the suffering associated with it moved me deeply - I can't be reminded of this often enough.

How did you prepare for this project? Did you illustrate Mario's diary notes directly, or did you also do research on the lives of forced labourers in Hamburg?

I read a large part of Marino Ruga's diary entries, which he wrote during his internment from 1943 to 1945. On the anniversary of the Italian surrender on 9 September 1943, Hamburg Wasser 2023 published a brochure that provided me with valuable background information. Last year, there was also an event at which Marino Ruga's son gave a moving speech and the actor Riccardo Ferrera read some of his texts. In preparation, I was able to watch the recording of this event.

I also researched extensive visual material: Forced labourers' accommodation, photographs of the Hamburg waterworks during the Nazi era, war planes, bombs, air raid shelters and cities in ruins - depressing impressions that illustrate the extent of the destruction and suffering.

What were the biggest challenges in translating these diary notes into live illustration videos?

When drawing, I had to pay close attention to the timing of the events described in the right order. To do this, I made a list of key points to record what was happening in sequence and what I wanted to visualise. Nevertheless, it was a challenge to combine all these descriptions into a single image that works both in terms of the details and the overall concept.

What was particularly important to you in the presentation?

I wanted to capture the atmosphere, which is oppressive on the one hand, but is always interrupted by moments of hope and love, for example when he thinks of his family at home. That's why I chose a blue-grey background and painted and drew on it with white and black. I didn't want it to look too cheerful, but I didn't want it to be overshadowed by total gloom either.

In the last video about the bombing, it was particularly important to me to convey the fear, destruction and horror that people are exposed to in such situations.

How does live illustration influence the way you convey historical themes compared to static illustrations or other forms of art?

I have to paint the picture in one go. Even if I sketch and try it out beforehand, it can never be completely planned - there are always unexpected things, such as the speed at which the wet paint dries. But that's exactly what fascinates me, that there are elements that I can't completely control.

In the third video about the bombings, drawing this event moved me deeply emotionally - the dramaturgy between the attacks and the people in the bomb shelter was so intense that I was physically and mentally exhausted afterwards.

And how did the collaboration with the narrator go? How did you coordinate to bring sound and image together?

The images and text were created in parallel and independently of each other. The Hamburg agency Perspektive Media edited the sound and image tracks together and added additional sound material (music, noises) so that they worked well together dramaturgically. I think they did a great job!

What reactions have the videos provoked so far?

I've received an incredible amount of positive feedback - both online on social media and from people I've met in person. An Italian friend had tears in her eyes when I showed her the video. A friend who fled the war in Syria told me how shaken he was by the videos because they brought back memories of his own experiences. The third video about the bombing in particular gets under your skin. The combination of the resulting drawing and the accompanying spoken text touches people directly on an emotional level.

How do you see the role of illustrators today when it comes to keeping history alive and taking on social responsibility?

Last year, I was part of the ‘Art as Social Practice’ programme, which allowed me to intensively explore the tension between art and societal, social and political issues. This area is currently the most relevant for me and enriches my work, as it gives it the greatest meaning. In fact, I've even thought about studying politics or sociology again! As an artist and illustrator, I find it essential to keep social issues alive, raise awareness and visualise them in a way that people find interesting and accessible.