February 1–March 31, 2017
University of Genoa
Savona Campus
Via Magliotto
217100 Savona
Ceramics Museum
Palazzo Gavotti
Piazza Chabrol 1
Savona
In the experimental framework of the project entitled Be Sm/ART 2, realized with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo, as part of the open-call ORA!, and of Fondazione A. De Mari, Radicate invites artist Francesca Perona for a residency in Savona, on the Ligurian Riviera, Italy, from February 1 to March 31, 2017.
Residency applications were judged by an international jury comprised of: Tiziana Casapietra, Founder and Director of Radicate; Charles Esche, Director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven; Vasif Kortun, Director of Research and Programs at SALT, Istanbul; Cecilia Chilosi, Representative of the Museum of Ceramics in Savona; Renato Procopio, Associate Professor of the Department of Nautical and Electrical and of the Telecommunication Department at the University of Genoa.
About Francesca’s project
Francesca Perona (1986, Italy) is a London-based interdisciplinary designer. Her fascination with the tangible cultural, political, environmental agency of materials brought her to investigate sustainability-driven design practices. Her research-based approach aims to integrate materials science, scientific processes and digital fabrication techniques.
Her project for Be Sm/ART 2, named Ceramics for the Anthropocene, aims to weave aspects of environmental awareness, sustainability and local embeddedness by means of ceramic crafts.
As Perona said, “ceramic artefacts can be interpreted as geo-markers of the local territory. One aspect of ceramics production that generally goes unspoken is the unsustainable demand for high-energy necessary to transform pliable material into a rigid form. The temperature required by kiln-firing often reaches 1000°, and the oxidation process actuated by such high temperatures is deemed to release a number of harmful chemicals into the air. This approach to ceramics manufacturing perfectly exemplifies our traditional unsustainable approach to natural resources and the negative impact caused by emissions from combustion of fossil fuels and industrial manufacturing processes. This consistent anthropogenic exploitative pattern has contributed to the global harmful levels of atmospheric pollution, and has influenced Earth’s geology and ecosystems so deeply, that a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, has been devised by scientists to explain and study the changing environment.”
During the residency, Francesca Perona will conceive an art intervention that will use an experimental approach to intersect aspects of tradition and innovation exemplified by the ceramics studios of the territory of Savona, the research on the sustainable development of the Smart City located at the Campus, and the project AARM of DigifabTuring, the FabLab of Turin. The residency will conclude with a series of public events on March 31, 2017, and are going to be announced during the residency.
Last but not least
Before leaving for Christmas holidays, please take a look at our brand-new website, where we are now sharing our latest video conversations with artist Lani Asuncion, and (upcoming) with Raqs Media Collective, Curator of the 11th Shanghai Biennale. To keep up to date with our activities, you may want to subscribe to our newsletter here… stay tuned!
Radicate’s team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope 2017 will be an unforgettable year of happiness, engagement & truths.
About Radicate
Radicate is a non-profit organization, located in the Savona Campus (University of Genoa, Italy). Radicate analyses the major shifts that are occurring globally through a contemporary art lens. The analysis is developed through ongoing conversations with prominent figures in the field of artistic research. These conversations are realized with the use of new global, communication tools and made public on the on-line platform. The results of our analysis manifest in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary projects, such as Be Sm/ART 2, which is made possible thanks to the support of:
