Al Buio in Catania
Meeting
in
the
Dark
One
of the latest in an ever-growing network of
Inizjamed’s
international partners is the Arci in
Catania, which like other such cultural associations spread throughout the
rest of Italy succeed in discovering their own local potential while
turning it global by means of frequent encounters with similar foreing
bodies. In fact, this is what happened when Inizjamed got involved earlier
this year in one of Arci Catania’s major projects: Al
buio, or In the dark. Together with experts ranging from Sweden to
Spain Al Buio attempted to address the challenges blind people face in
today’s cultural worlds, especially where visual art and sculpture are
involved. Furthermore, the project included some unique experiences where
sighted people got closer to sharing, and maybe understanding better what
a sightless life is all about.
One
such activity was the competition Scrivere
al buio, or Writing in the dark. Over 30 writers from Italy and Malta
participated in this literary project, which sought to provoke those who
took part to reflect on a blind person’s relation to art and culture and
write a poem, a story or an essay about this topic. Happily, the Maltese
fared very well, with Immanuel Mifsud’s I’d
thought the flowers had all died gaining a special mention, and On doors and windows, by Karsten Xuereb, sharing first prize with Danza
Nera, by Anna di Mauro. Karsten was in Catania for the closing of the
whole project, which allowed him to meet people like Hoelle Corvest and
Christian Bessigneul, who are responsible for the administration of
museums and visual arts in Paris, and Bruno Roberti, the film critic who
wittily pointed out some interesting relations between cinema and the lack
of light/sight.
The
three days Karsten spent there were also spiced up by another special
experience: Saturday is certainly disco night even in Catania, and Arci
duly organized Danzare al buio, or Dancing in the dark. This particular night was
held at I Magazzini Generali,
which is a beautiful open air dance area/pizzeria surrounded by a small
lake and lush vegetation, and here, Sergio Messina and DJ Painè, two
popular Italian djs, held a dance session completely in the dark. No light
shows, and the fact that you felt the
whole room dance rather than saw it, was certainly an unusual experience.
If you want to share this different look at the cultural expressions around us visit www.inizjamed.cjb.net or www.albuio.org. See you there!
Karsten
Xuereb - July 2001
