PAESAGGI MIGRANTI

5 artists were selected among 120 applicants who applied to a
call for artist that we launched, taking part to the first Paesaggi Migranti Residency in Pennabilli, 8-12 March 2017.

In Pennabilli's Museum of Natural History PM team gathered with partner associations representatives to welcome the artists and to present them their mission. Roberto of both PM and the Museum introduced the project theme derived from the complexity of the place and its history along with its geodiversity carefully explained by Veronica, Museum's geologist.

Last year's edition of PM was presented by Vincenzo followed by Riccardo's short introduction to Parco Begni, our worksite. Some practical info about the program and logistics were given by Andrea and Irene. With already a lot of information to digest and accompanied with Enrico Partisani, the founder of the 'Artisti in Piazza' Festival, we payed a visit to Parco Begni where the artists were confronted with the site's possibilities along with its limitations.

We took a break with some homemade 'tagliatelle' at the residency before coming back to Pennabilli. Guided by Roberto's wide knowledge of the town and its stories, we started our tour from the main Piazza, making our way to the top of the hill of Penna. Impressed by its contemplative nature and views during the golden hour light, we continued our way to the Museum of the World of Tonino Guerra – Pennabilli's famous poet, script-writer and artist in every sense. Visiting the museum alongside Tonino's garden and house brought us closer to seeing Pennabilli as a small but important cultural hub that generates and attracts such characters. Our tour finished with the visit to the Mateureka – one of a kind museum of mathematics. Soon we were joined by Giovanna, Italian contact for the MEDS organization.

We ended our first day of the artist residency with a well-deserved dinner and some fine 'grappa' at Capannaccio in a merry atmosphere.

In the early morning of the second day, guided by Roberto and Veronica of the Museum, artists were set on an adventure of exploring the Valmarecchia valley. From UNESCO sites to natural reserves, they went further and higher, broadening their knowledge on the „Floating Mountains“ theme. Climbing the top of San Leo, a famous borgo and a fortress, they could overlook the valley as sea bed for the floating mountain peaks while witnessing the fragile nature of this geological phenomena.

Returning to the residency after an intense sightseeing trip was welcomed by a lunch break and time for the artists to prepare for the upcoming presentations on their work.

With the trip as a final input for the artists, presentations were imagined as an opportunity for the artists to show their work to us and to each other while making a connection to their strongest impressions of everything they've seen and heard so far. We've seen land art projects by Mikael Hansen, travelling from Denmark and Sweden to Italy's Artesella, followed by Alessandro Mulazzani's spectre of projects that include working with GIS, environmental sciences to landscape and land art projects. Architect duo Stelle Polari showed us their community engaged projects, mostly through tutoring workshops in Poland, Spain and Italy alike. Atilio Doreste introduced his work through practices of walking and listening – soundpaths, ideas of destruction and constant change, needed for creation. Followed by a number of questions, presentations session ended with two works of Nele Hartmann, showing how simple processes and materials that are there for taking can tell a story through design and craft.

In the evening we joined community members of 'Pro Loco' and 'Artisti in Piazza' for a dinner celebration in the 'Garden of the Forgotten Fruits' in Pennabilli. Roberto and Irene presented the Paesaggi Migranti project and the artists to the community, bringing forward our missions and goals, especially concerning Parco Begni.

Early morning buzz started with Atilio Doreste experimenting in the backyard of Capannaccio. With a pair of rubber boots and a puddle of mud he made a video recorded performance referring to transhumance.

Busy hours in the museum started with Irene, Riccardo and Giacomo working on logistics and sponsorships while Andrea and Giovanna of MEDS were preparing a structure for the participant call and artists were working hard on their project proposals.

We took a break from work to have a picnic lunch in the sunny surroundings of the Tonino Guerra's 'Garden of the Forgotten Fruits'. After some time of resting in the grass or a nearby cherry tree, after a cup of 'espresso' or even 'gelato', we returned to the museum.

Prior to artists presentations, PM team gathered for an internal meeting. We made a quick overview of what happened so far during the residency for freshly arrived PM members Stella and Federica. Roberto proposed a working method for coordinating artists project proposals that the whole team agreed on, suggesting a healthy discussion as a brainstorming session, avoiding much criticism.

First one to start was Atilio Doreste, the only artist whose proposal doesn't address a workshop project but a festival perfomance. He proposed making a soundpath for transhumance, as a performance piece made for everyone, especially children. Stelle Polari followed with their talk of Parco Begni's identity and borders, proposing to make small actions in the park like organizing community events. Nele was inspired by the craft of rust printing in Carpegna and the usage of blue pigments of the guado plant. Through these traditional techniques she would tell a story of the landscape. Mikael Hansen and Alessandro Mulazzani agreed to make a collaboration workshop. Mikael chose straws and balls of hay as a his primary material and, apart from choosing the site for his installation inside the Parco, would like to leave the outcome for students to experiment with. Alessandro made a strong reference to his previous land art project, dividing his concept into two parts: 1. looking for debris – brickstones with the student, mapping, collecting and transporting the debris to the Parco; 2. making an installation with the students in the Parco. After a series of Q&A, we closed our productive session with a more detailed plan for tomorrow and were on our way to Enrico's for a pizza night.

In the evening we joined community members of 'Pro Loco' and 'Artisti in Piazza' for a dinner celebration in the 'Garden of the Forgotten Fruits' in Pennabilli. Roberto and Irene presented the Paesaggi Migranti project and the artists to the community, bringing forward our missions and goals, especially concerning Parco Begni.

Everybody split shortly after breakfast, pursuiting their daily missions. Vincenzo was on the move, following each of the artists while recording their search for content, materials or specific sites. Stelle Polari made a visit to the Pennabilli's Sunday market, getting the feel of usual community events. Nele channeled her curiosity to the nearby Marrechia riverbed while Atilio said his goodbyes, being the first artist to leave the residency. Changing their initial project idea, Mikael and Alessandro visited an old mill's scrapyard, looking for potential workshop materials.

Again we all gathered for lunch, carefully prepared by Stella and Federica, to exchange our daily impressions and rest a bit before continuing the afternoon work. Before running to the museum, we made another visit to Parco Begni, discussing potential sites with the artists while taking in account all the Parco's limitations during the Festival. During museum hours artists got to work on the project with their assistants. Giacomo and Mikael discussed more about the site and materials while Roberto and Stella were assisting Alessandro. Stelle Polari had the support of Riccardo and Irene on making their idea more concrete while Nele and Andrea were trying to assemble all the ideas into a more defined workshop structure.