Museo RISO, Contemporary Art Museum of Sicily presents the artistic project «Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui, ed è di tutti quelli che lo stanno ad ascoltare (The sea has no home either and belongs to whoever listens to it)», by Studio ++, a group founded in Florence in 2006 formed by Fabio Ciaravella (1982), Umberto Daina (1979) and Vincenzo Fiore (1981). Since 2011, Studio ++ has been a part of the S.A.C.S. Archive, Sicily’s Contemporary Art Foundation created by RISO to promote young Sicilian talents throughout Italy and Europe.
This installation, soon to become part of the Museum’s collection, is based upon the use of augmented reality, a technology that allows for the fruition of the work through a public and «immaterial» dimension that triggers critical reflection upon the artist’s role and identity in today’s society. The work by Studio ++ reflects the ‘relation of limitation’ between internal and external, between virtual space and the urban landscape, actively involving the spectator in a new aesthetic experience that travels beyond the confines of the Museum. The site-specific work was conceived as an homage to Sicily and to the city of Palermo: the title is a quote from Giovanni Verga’s novel I Malavoglia (1881).
The phrase appears on the façade of Palazzo Riso by downloading an app from the App Store. The public presentation of the work will be accompanied by a round table hosted by Laura Barreca. The concept of the immateriality in works of contemporary art, the urban context as creative space, use of new technology in art and in social communication as a new aesthetic dimension and the active participation of the public are all topics that will be examined. Technology is an essential, almost pervasive, element of society and contemporary culture. Thanks to its immaterial and accessible nature, many processes of information and knowledge are conveyed digitally through platforms and networks where the watchword is «share». The relationship between art and technology in the 21st century has been sealed through an ongoing ability to adapt to new linguistic and social behavioural codes that are now offered by the new digital technology as a new and exhilarating artistic experience. (from the press release)
Riso, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea della Sicilia, Studio ++, Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui, ed è di tutti quelli che lo stanno ad ascoltare.. Round Table: «La smaterializzazione dell’arte: New Media, spazi pubblici e paesaggio urbano/The smaterialization of the art: new media, public spaces and urban landscape», March 29, 2014, Palazzo Riso, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 365. Participants of the round table: Valeria Li Vigni, Director of RISO Contemporary Art Museum of Sicily; Francesco Giambrone, Municipal Councillor of Culture, Palermo; Marina Pugliese, Director of Milan’s Museo del Novecento; Maurizio Carta, Professor of City Planning at the University of Palermo; Domenico Quaranta, (Moderator) New Media Art critic and expert; Laura Barreca, curator and Professor of Media Phenomenology at the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts.
Images
(cover and 1) Studio ++, Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui, ed è di tutti quelli che lo stanno ad ascoltare, 2012, augmented reality installation, collezione Riso, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea della Sicilia (2) QR Code, App «Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui…», to be downloaded from the APP store.
