THE PUPPET
Thanks to the collaboration with the Mauceri family, puppeteers of Syracuse, we worked on the design and creation of a set for the myth of Alpheus and Arethusa. The set is composed of a series of 5 veils that accompany the myth in its various stages. The fluidity of the water is represented by the freely moving fabrics.. The narration on canvas recalls the billboards used to show the plot of the work outside the theatre. The changes of state, the transformations and the union are represented through an abstraction of languages that leaves the interpretation of the myth open to the spectator. The spring, the source of life, becomes the papyrus paper that arises from its waters. The light structure frames the space, allowing its borders to be crossed, a backdrop ready to adapt to multiple future panoramas. The puppets come to life, narrating the myth.
MATERIALS ATLAS
A collection of fragments, recovered from the sea-beds of Ortigia, which highlights the multiplicity of origins that shape the local cultural identity. A collection of pieces from flooring or interior finishes, which puts fragments and the still visible works that make Sicily an architectural icon on the same level. What unites the fragments are the marks left on them by human hands: the local artifacts are proof of a millenary legacy, kept alive by local artisans, of craft skills and techniques that arrived from overseas. In several cases it has been difficult to find the original materials used to make the fragments because they derive from processes and know-how that were later lost due to interrupted intercultural connections and insufficient market demand to keep the production chains active in the area. These knowledge gaps underline the importance of sharing the symbolic resistance of these fragments with respect to the fragility of the contemporary, in order to favor continuity with the past, even when accompanied by change, rather than a clean break.
