Murray Ballard’s Ghosts in the Field captures the evolving landscape of rural Salento, Italy, juxtaposing the destruction of ancient olive trees with the region's rapid ascent as a tourist hotspot.
Since 2012, Murray Ballard has documented the profound transformation that has swept across this Mediterranean enclave. What began as a simple, personal sojourn has evolved into a ten-year project capturing the heart of a community and region grappling with loss and reinvention. The devastation wrought by the Xylella pathogen on Puglia's ancient olive trees has not only crippled the local agricultural economy but also altered the physical and cultural landscape. These centuries-old trees, symbols of resilience and rootedness, now stand as relics of a once-thriving industry. In contrast, the region’s recent boom as the fastest-growing tourist destination in the EU offers a stark juxtaposition of growth amid decay.
Ballard’s photography weaves together a nuanced narrative of both decline and revival. His images capture the eerie, spectral presence of the olive groves, punctuated by new markers of modernity—luxury villas, renovated estates, and the evolving aspirations of younger generations. What emerges is a meditation on the fragility of tradition in the face of both natural and economic forces. Through his lens, Ballard conveys the ghosts of the past still lingering in the fields, as well as the inexorable march of the future.
