Theatre of Proof. Explorations between arts and sciences is an exhibition at the PAV – Parco Arte Vivente in Turin that stems from a reflection on possible solutions to the ecological disasters caused by increasingly aggressive extraction policies, which lead us to question our choices as individuals and as a community. The working groups set up for Theatre of Proof explored the commonalities between artists and scientists, between research laboratories and artists’ studios, finding a common denominator in a practice based on experiments, trials, errors and unexpected effects.
The title of the exhibition refers to Bruno Latour’s book of the same name, Le théâtre de la preuve, published in 1986, in which the French anthropologist observes how scientific proof is presented through dramatic staging. Latour invites us to look at science as a theatre, where experiments and demonstrations are presented through a rhetoric of representations and performances designed to persuade the public of the validity of a discovery.
This approach was adopted in the initial phase of the artistic research for the projects presented, which took place in scientific laboratories located in 11 research institutes at the CNR headquarters, in an area of 87 hectares 30 km from the city of Rome, where the idea of the laboratory as a space for research and as a place where knowledge can focus on the process rather than the result was explored.
The research project saw NABA artists and teachers Matteo Nasini, Peter Lang, Gea Casolaro and Cesare Pietroiusti accompany students inside the CNR laboratories to select numerical data, visual documentation, organic elements and experimental residues. Four projects emerged from this investigation, which took place between March and June 2024: Thin, from Matteo Nasini’s Sound Space Analysis and Design course, which is an immersive sound installation based on air pollution data transformed into sound tracks; CULT (ivate), from Peter Lang’s Displayed Archives course, which consists of a performance designed as a moment of sharing between artists and the public, to activate survival strategies in relation to climate effects; Acque Psicogeografiche, created by Gea Casolaro’s Photography course, which is structured as an environmental photographic installation and addresses climate change through the role of water; and Contaminazioni, from Cesare Pietroiusti’s Visual Arts course, which takes the form of a small archive of plants and objects that contribute to detoxifying the environment.
Each teacher also presents one of their own works, which interacts with the other installations and reintroduces the themes addressed through new inputs. The exhibition is completed by the graphic design of Etaoin Shrudlu studio, which conceives the visual identity of the exhibition starting from a graphic sign that summarises the dialogue between art, science and the staging of the test in a hand gesture.
As part of the exhibition, curated by AEF/PAV (Attività Educazione Formazione), a workshop led by Cesare Pietroiusti is scheduled for March 28 thand 29th. The activity, which is free of charge and must be booked in advance, aims to explore the contents of Theatre of Proof through a trans-disciplinary and dialogical approach.
Theatre of Proof. Explorations between arts and sciences, PAV – Parco Arte Vivente, Turin, 08.03 – 27.04.2025
The exhibition is realized with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, the Fondazione CRT, the Piemonte Region, and the City of Turin.
images: (cover 1) Acque Psicogeografiche – Gea Casolaro with Collettivo Zolla (Valerio Gelsomini, Alice Giuntini, Eleonora Sacco, Francesca Senatore, Simone Trapani, Marco Scirè) and CNR – Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (CNR – IGAG). Photographic Print, nylon threads (2-4-5) CULT (ivate) Survival Guide for Foraging – Peter Lang with Joana Amil Manso da Cruz, Theresa Brost, Majd el Roumi Baradie, Misha ali Farhana, Giulia Fiore, Dalija Kaukenaite, Carlota rel Lombart, Jiani “Luna” Yang and CNR – Istituto per i Sistemi Biologici (CNR – ISB), Gisella Menichelli (Biblioteca d’Area). Camping tents, miscellaneous items (3) Peter Lang, Systema Naturae (2023). Digital video, 5’, sound, color.
