https://robertpettena.net Robert Pettena Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:26:50 +0000 https://robertpettena.net en https://robertpettena.net/Pre-Home Wed, 04 Apr 2018 12:34:36 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Pre-Home Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/All-Artworks Sat, 21 Oct 2017 21:24:27 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/All-Artworks Last Artwork <img width="800" height="800" width_o="800" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fbb4d978da759a5615ab7e45d784f6ff9c019d5f125c3b88efc36bc77bdebe0c/calco-granchio-2-copia.jpg" data-mid="152438359" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/fbb4d978da759a5615ab7e45d784f6ff9c019d5f125c3b88efc36bc77bdebe0c/calco-granchio-2-copia.jpg" /> Guerre des Rêves &nbsp;Robert Pettena - Guerre des RêvesBarcelona Gallery Weekend 2022 Suburbia Gallery, Calle de València, 345, 08009 Barcelona. Robert Pettena investigates fictional regimes andhow they affect social life to the point ofmaking us doubt reality. These new divisionsbetween reality and fiction also conditionthe circulation between the individualimaginary (dreams), the collective imaginary(myths, rites, symbols) and the work offiction. https://robertpettena.net/Guerre-des-Reves Thu, 08 Sep 2022 19:26:50 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Guerre-des-Reves The Door Guerre des Rêves BarcelonaGalleryWeekend2022,&nbsp; Suburbia Contemporary, Calle de València, 345, 08009 Barcelona.15 - 18 September&nbsp; 2022 <img width="1170" height="1200" width_o="1170" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4887c815d28c0e356146b84b6350dd07f81d88cdbf846a4eb7a62d39051fb542/citta-invisibile-b_n.jpg" data-mid="152434050" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4887c815d28c0e356146b84b6350dd07f81d88cdbf846a4eb7a62d39051fb542/citta-invisibile-b_n.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/31c63ef871fad6337197844cad6e21a162e5d850504f2fa521dffce122975b64/cisterna-cilindro.jpg" data-mid="152434044" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/31c63ef871fad6337197844cad6e21a162e5d850504f2fa521dffce122975b64/cisterna-cilindro.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d0984f5a6fabdd5d75786a6b839b87e56905443ac877804997f11d15e975b86c/cisterna-cono.jpg" data-mid="152434045" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/d0984f5a6fabdd5d75786a6b839b87e56905443ac877804997f11d15e975b86c/cisterna-cono.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/15cdadddaa3abc5fee2f7da3beee6d5eb2c69f41f6f11400cf492a6747157459/cisterna-palla.jpg" data-mid="152434047" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/15cdadddaa3abc5fee2f7da3beee6d5eb2c69f41f6f11400cf492a6747157459/cisterna-palla.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f83c7833c23d3f19bd61a55dd2655179b41bac75c6e36e60b867af7c6fa2fc11/cisterna-gambe-copia.jpg" data-mid="152435390" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/f83c7833c23d3f19bd61a55dd2655179b41bac75c6e36e60b867af7c6fa2fc11/cisterna-gambe-copia.jpg" /> During lockdown I went for long walks up and down the hillsides that surround the centre of Florence. I realized that I no longer wanted to take photos to record my findings, since photography is flat and I was spending most of my time working online, staring at a flat screen all day. So I began using an ancient technique, making casts, a technique used since Mediaeval times, to record the features of the dead. Casting for me represents the principle of photography, since it was used to document the times people lived in. It is the base of photographic documentation. My wanderings took me to little known areas of unexplored beauty and between Porta Romana and Forte Belvedere I discovered the Tivoli Garden, a part of unknown Florence, hidden in plain sight. Towards the end of the nineteenth century when Florence was capital of Italy under Vittorio Emanuele the second, the king created a pleasure garden like the one in Copenhagen. He wanted to walk to it through the Boboli Gardens from his residence in Palazzo Pitti. And so the Tivoli Garden was created. It only lasted a few years because the king moved the capital to Rome and the garden was dismantled. But remnants of it remain: buildings in Nordic and middle-European styles. <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/16eb18355c861284630ddd154ee2ba5186a823465589d57a9452a586d5422e77/calco-granchio-2.jpg" data-mid="152435597" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/16eb18355c861284630ddd154ee2ba5186a823465589d57a9452a586d5422e77/calco-granchio-2.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1581000f1c8d7904e912a3b24277f79af3fc0990e3163e8d9debda84dcfd1344/revolution-agrumi-.jpg" data-mid="152435631" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/1581000f1c8d7904e912a3b24277f79af3fc0990e3163e8d9debda84dcfd1344/revolution-agrumi-.jpg" /> <img width="801" height="1200" width_o="801" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4b6d45b5066c6e55d5020210a8068db169a741c9fab1860b006883a997168a49/otto-agrumi.jpg" data-mid="152435630" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/801/i/4b6d45b5066c6e55d5020210a8068db169a741c9fab1860b006883a997168a49/otto-agrumi.jpg" /> <img width="801" height="1200" width_o="801" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1177bef733904827f3d17e6c91e78c657d4686311c336388b6145a0636af9f7b/melograno-testina.jpg" data-mid="152435621" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/801/i/1177bef733904827f3d17e6c91e78c657d4686311c336388b6145a0636af9f7b/melograno-testina.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4eeed758a6c518d98b9767629ad4122bb01083355cda917ed777da00bcd1a736/melograno-calco.jpg" data-mid="152435613" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/4eeed758a6c518d98b9767629ad4122bb01083355cda917ed777da00bcd1a736/melograno-calco.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/508d6b52843745b354ad7e635c31c850f19b4ddc30f42bfe37ca7358a3de4aa0/granchi-2.jpg" data-mid="152435610" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/508d6b52843745b354ad7e635c31c850f19b4ddc30f42bfe37ca7358a3de4aa0/granchi-2.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e3134634e0518e34a46083e1c12fdc0594096b156a0db7e366f5f41462af708a/costellazione-agrumi-2.jpg" data-mid="152435606" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/e3134634e0518e34a46083e1c12fdc0594096b156a0db7e366f5f41462af708a/costellazione-agrumi-2.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/aa15091870baafaa1f1c74e7b69469d0e205847ee0c9fdc6bba8f1f783b58f69/calco-granchio-galleggia.jpg" data-mid="152435603" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/aa15091870baafaa1f1c74e7b69469d0e205847ee0c9fdc6bba8f1f783b58f69/calco-granchio-galleggia.jpg" /> I was struck by the irony of the brief existence and disappearance of a part of Florence, in a city where preservation of antiquity at all costs is the order of the day. I was drawn in by this non-existent fantastic garden of wonders right beside the historical Boboli Gardens and I began to cast objects using damp clay. During the journey home in my rucksack the castings became distorted. The distortion of my casts brings to mind the idea of temporary nature of time and space and the way that time distorts memory. <img width="899" height="1200" width_o="899" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0badb2259df7c324b8daf03a40699ad46aaf3e7399312745320c572353990aa8/acquerello-cavolini.jpg" data-mid="152436047" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/899/i/0badb2259df7c324b8daf03a40699ad46aaf3e7399312745320c572353990aa8/acquerello-cavolini.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/85155b3256f84717ea422f7607daa1d7e048e02aa5fd32f1521e9f0f994ba0ee/zucchina.jpg" data-mid="152436056" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/85155b3256f84717ea422f7607daa1d7e048e02aa5fd32f1521e9f0f994ba0ee/zucchina.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/33fd9bb70164f8be922584d449f17a4430812be1957a09609f94c06dbf6acb82/zucca.jpg" data-mid="152436054" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/33fd9bb70164f8be922584d449f17a4430812be1957a09609f94c06dbf6acb82/zucca.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4568e5fdd7cbb342bb60e0438c158fa43c6e1d014cc5c2f8a04645b52eda6bd0/lunaria.jpg" data-mid="152436053" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/4568e5fdd7cbb342bb60e0438c158fa43c6e1d014cc5c2f8a04645b52eda6bd0/lunaria.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/750e968a03d529aa5809c8c1ac643ac1f9485a8247640b6b5419c2ac2104a8a1/limone.jpg" data-mid="152436052" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/750e968a03d529aa5809c8c1ac643ac1f9485a8247640b6b5419c2ac2104a8a1/limone.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e9bd53155c9795615f8bf746f2076e1301782489b1c146062a2e15d75f07789/granchio.jpg" data-mid="152436051" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/1e9bd53155c9795615f8bf746f2076e1301782489b1c146062a2e15d75f07789/granchio.jpg" /> <img width="918" height="1200" width_o="918" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4a2a4ab9fe74984ec83c43e580c9100b11696d36f105109f2f09ec24937501f7/fregata.jpg" data-mid="152436050" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/918/i/4a2a4ab9fe74984ec83c43e580c9100b11696d36f105109f2f09ec24937501f7/fregata.jpg" /> <img width="922" height="1200" width_o="922" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bf2f9e7742e0396b4454bbcd645059aefb8e46d2045d6ac5261ab886e681091d/carciofo-a.jpg" data-mid="152436049" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/922/i/bf2f9e7742e0396b4454bbcd645059aefb8e46d2045d6ac5261ab886e681091d/carciofo-a.jpg" /> <img width="890" height="1200" width_o="890" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e6fe47f2d1f9a24f8fde3cc8b30323caf54c5dcd4a322adf5d1f26085a8089d2/carciofo-1.jpg" data-mid="152436048" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/890/i/e6fe47f2d1f9a24f8fde3cc8b30323caf54c5dcd4a322adf5d1f26085a8089d2/carciofo-1.jpg" /> I made a video of some of the classical Greek and Roman busts in the Boboli Garden. In the background I recorded the voice which echoes round the gardens at closing time, telling people to leave in many different languages. It is as though the Boboli Gardens are disappearing and the statues are protecting the entrance of the imaginary Tivoli Gardens. I took photos of the same classical busts, deleting the bases under the statues, so that they appear to float in the vegetation, already introducing the idea of the disappearing Tivoli garden. <img width="1200" height="801" width_o="1200" height_o="801" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f8bef110c6fd50b69828e69e94b40229cf676ea64a069dc7113a6cfe66be01b/busto-boboli.jpg" data-mid="152435503" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1f8bef110c6fd50b69828e69e94b40229cf676ea64a069dc7113a6cfe66be01b/busto-boboli.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d903bca8a51858b675a613340dcc37f747d2ce9f32aa2926444553f2bc7f5523/calco-busto.jpg" data-mid="152435774" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/d903bca8a51858b675a613340dcc37f747d2ce9f32aa2926444553f2bc7f5523/calco-busto.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f7aea2810f896ab8350638b8a66dc597fed90ebc7744cbeb021f46adbca1a715/calco-zampa.jpg" data-mid="152435787" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/f7aea2810f896ab8350638b8a66dc597fed90ebc7744cbeb021f46adbca1a715/calco-zampa.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f4a05c8efc67dd4b3b01f198363378efbb906136b11b272dd6d28331aefeeb24/calco-zampa-grande.jpg" data-mid="152435786" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/f4a05c8efc67dd4b3b01f198363378efbb906136b11b272dd6d28331aefeeb24/calco-zampa-grande.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0f4a976aaba5cf3677e424df4785355c3069667af8ba9639e073735bf10845d5/calco-testina.jpg" data-mid="152435785" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/0f4a976aaba5cf3677e424df4785355c3069667af8ba9639e073735bf10845d5/calco-testina.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a6c51269efb6c57a98ed294e50a6a20925a9af14a00497b027cdde5f64f64031/calco-revolution.jpg" data-mid="152435784" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/a6c51269efb6c57a98ed294e50a6a20925a9af14a00497b027cdde5f64f64031/calco-revolution.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a3022df25a21c5443cd3051d10327676fc216dffc77d3c872ae3e5dff694ad64/calco-pigna.jpg" data-mid="152435782" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/a3022df25a21c5443cd3051d10327676fc216dffc77d3c872ae3e5dff694ad64/calco-pigna.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/85462034042b1037e5d0f9089b660387c85060b7412a08ef7af9a2c0103c2476/calco-gas.jpg" data-mid="152435781" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/85462034042b1037e5d0f9089b660387c85060b7412a08ef7af9a2c0103c2476/calco-gas.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/660175723bec05cc644cc93f620f2f6823b1a62165e41efd51cbe2466c5771cf/calco-foglia-acanto-2.jpg" data-mid="152435780" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/660175723bec05cc644cc93f620f2f6823b1a62165e41efd51cbe2466c5771cf/calco-foglia-acanto-2.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f6fd55d9c4a4d3dec2760d2b8346d4285a7d01ae919d7155859c5987c0aed414/calco-firenze.jpg" data-mid="152435778" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/f6fd55d9c4a4d3dec2760d2b8346d4285a7d01ae919d7155859c5987c0aed414/calco-firenze.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/23ee25a88296b2f443d67eac91bf6050950d2fcf17bfbef19cadc6f616529ae3/calco-fi-informe.jpg" data-mid="152435777" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/23ee25a88296b2f443d67eac91bf6050950d2fcf17bfbef19cadc6f616529ae3/calco-fi-informe.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a6353f1b415dc4c303dd8f8faf9eed1911e69bb9b762783d7471b6ceb7e09c00/calco-corpo-testa.jpg" data-mid="152435776" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/a6353f1b415dc4c303dd8f8faf9eed1911e69bb9b762783d7471b6ceb7e09c00/calco-corpo-testa.jpg" /> <img width="800" height="1200" width_o="800" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6e312a6839e5ff71f5ca6df5deb56019b4d446f716c1d9fefdfb2cc08141b8c9/calco-comune-firenze.jpg" data-mid="152435775" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/6e312a6839e5ff71f5ca6df5deb56019b4d446f716c1d9fefdfb2cc08141b8c9/calco-comune-firenze.jpg" /> https://robertpettena.net/The-Beast Mon, 10 Feb 2020 18:33:36 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/The-Beast The Door The Beast Super Summer Extra Pomeriggio, curated by Stefano Giuri, at TOAST Project Space, Firenze.29 January - 25 March 2020 <img width="1061" height="800" width_o="1061" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/27116c3c2cf490fee8130828898e973c013ba09cbfade09bf1b0e432f011659f/La-bestia.jpg" data-mid="60721749" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/27116c3c2cf490fee8130828898e973c013ba09cbfade09bf1b0e432f011659f/La-bestia.jpg" /> Here is the description of an Indian picture of a procession of Indian princes through the streets of Jaipur. This was at a time when certain states, such as Jaipur, now progressive states, were once enriched through trade in luxury goods. The rulers enjoyed banquets and sought out every kind of ostentatious pleasure in the streets of the city. Now this little picture, wrapped in horsehair like a relic, provides us with a glimpse into this long lost period. The horse swishes his tail back and forth to brush off the flies that annoy him. Innumerable truths are reflected in the head and body of the beast in a game no one can respond to. https://robertpettena.net/Voodoo-Child-Eternal-Return Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:37:21 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Voodoo-Child-Eternal-Return The Door Voodoo Child (Eternal Return)Watch the performance Curated by Mike Watson, Kulttuuritalo Valve, Oulu, Finland.23 August 2019 <img width="1400" height="980" width_o="1400" height_o="980" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5fd5824689b329b2305c91ec1f121813919019f994fef4d6656784efc459438b/Poster-largo-1400.jpg" data-mid="48418202" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5fd5824689b329b2305c91ec1f121813919019f994fef4d6656784efc459438b/Poster-largo-1400.jpg" /> Voodoo Child (Eternal Return) revisits the empty stage of the Woodstock Festival of 1969 via an audio, visual and physical performance retracing the generational cycle of hope, excess, and subsequent failure that accompanies the festival, the rave, the carnival. The movement of the performers and accompanying electronic/vj set signals resistance in the face of the inevitability of failure as each night, each party and each generational epoch must deal with the demands of everyday life and realpolitik.The performance focuses on the sense of hope and the subsequent sense of failure that accompanies the festival, the rave, the carnival. This sense of hope passes with each grand event and again in a bigger sense with the passing of each generation. We can see a similar process of hope fading in the dream of the internet as a medium that we once felt would foster worldwide democracy, and in its later appropriation as a space of self promotion, obscure creativity and criminal organisation.Artists: Robert Pettena (visual artist) presents the 3rd collaboration with Ignazio Giordano (live VJ set), Francesca Sandroni Francesca Sandroni (live electronic music), Valeria Rugi (performer). Pictures from the public: <img width="1600" height="1200" width_o="1600" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/476fbbca07d009ac94a1b6098ef5619087560f9dc08454732f90f815399b50c1/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.164.jpeg" data-mid="50106277" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/476fbbca07d009ac94a1b6098ef5619087560f9dc08454732f90f815399b50c1/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.164.jpeg" /> <img width="1600" height="1200" width_o="1600" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b344df22d38c0f0af572bb95a9d91e4770584a21f742e81f4f78871a7b55f4e7/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.161.jpeg" data-mid="50106276" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b344df22d38c0f0af572bb95a9d91e4770584a21f742e81f4f78871a7b55f4e7/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.161.jpeg" /> <img width="1600" height="1200" width_o="1600" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/763cc509ee2fc092b6ec364594f2cf4f07a472c7d8cc0a8f25cc15ed88e48c9e/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.10.jpeg" data-mid="50106273" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/763cc509ee2fc092b6ec364594f2cf4f07a472c7d8cc0a8f25cc15ed88e48c9e/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.10.jpeg" /> <img width="1600" height="1200" width_o="1600" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2abb0b50c33b3c7baed1fb9ac9194988c05885b9e56e0ef26988b3b89f696ded/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.102.jpeg" data-mid="50106274" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2abb0b50c33b3c7baed1fb9ac9194988c05885b9e56e0ef26988b3b89f696ded/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.102.jpeg" /> <img width="1600" height="1200" width_o="1600" height_o="1200" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f7dc409493a292276aebc853ad043868c2b9109252423bfed3bc1afc4f7b32e0/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.11.jpg" data-mid="50106275" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f7dc409493a292276aebc853ad043868c2b9109252423bfed3bc1afc4f7b32e0/WhatsApp-Image-2019-08-24-at-00.15.11.jpg" /> Photos by Noora Jokela <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48b96ed119780cad19175ed830ce87d2153d29dbd546a0b56fb060743ee5a3bc/kuva1.jpg" data-mid="50048649" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48b96ed119780cad19175ed830ce87d2153d29dbd546a0b56fb060743ee5a3bc/kuva1.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/08a18c959683afa737a0e876d8f3d7a866f17934f6e8cf7e8e5a9c462547b843/kuva2.jpg" data-mid="50048657" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/08a18c959683afa737a0e876d8f3d7a866f17934f6e8cf7e8e5a9c462547b843/kuva2.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c02ba589ffa71d12a24f4f822596614fec9a665f55db3cfe782d51626b4a3c72/kuva3.jpg" data-mid="50048659" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c02ba589ffa71d12a24f4f822596614fec9a665f55db3cfe782d51626b4a3c72/kuva3.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1d20a4bf5de86341f27fedd1abdddaff922f0d9e17a58b3d706297cc2c277499/kuva5.jpg" data-mid="50048663" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1d20a4bf5de86341f27fedd1abdddaff922f0d9e17a58b3d706297cc2c277499/kuva5.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3d37e37a8dad4f9455bf5f96a376f0af705059cb8be91cedb017b063550b747b/kuva4.jpg" data-mid="50048661" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3d37e37a8dad4f9455bf5f96a376f0af705059cb8be91cedb017b063550b747b/kuva4.jpg" />Photos by Mari Kivioja https://robertpettena.net/No-Compulsion Mon, 12 Aug 2019 13:35:25 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/No-Compulsion The Door No Compulsion Curated by Mike Watson, Galleria Rankka, Helsinki, Finland.18 August 2019 <img width="1400" height="934" width_o="1400" height_o="934" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/509baa9c745229ef4755f24156f2b7b51c8e4b6671638d518fe4766c08e9e3c2/no-compulsion--largo-1400.jpg" data-mid="48417880" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/509baa9c745229ef4755f24156f2b7b51c8e4b6671638d518fe4766c08e9e3c2/no-compulsion--largo-1400.jpg" /> The advance of history through all of its guises may be seen not as one leading to ever greater dominance of more and more persons by fewer and fewer barons. It may rather be seen as the gradual advance of surveillance: From the castle on the hill, to the town hall that employs a small body of local sheriffs to gather information, to an advanced state and police network, supported by the media, to, eventually, the Super-Panopticon. No one is free from the surveillance machine, and, further, everyone finds themselves an operator of it. No Compulsion sees a woman partly disappearing, gradually obscured from public view within a fence, whilst beginning to acquire a panoptic view. She’s both controlled and in control, in much the same way as we control and are controlled by social media. When she gets up the sticks fall away.Robert Pettena (visual artist) presents the 3rd collaboration with Ignazio Giordano (live VJ set), Francesca Sandroni Francesca Sandroni (live electronic music), Valeria Rugi (performer). https://robertpettena.net/Grotesque-Games Fri, 02 Nov 2018 16:00:17 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Grotesque-Games The Door Grotesque Games Watch the performance We Have Nearly Lost Control, curated by Mike Watson, Macro Asilo, Roma.27 October 2018 <img width="1200" height="802" width_o="1200" height_o="802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/64c6d4227e10fa969aa67814157482b4d1d6d9c7065e635faa607ad201f17c5d/44980863_10155733000942256_5930889453936574464_o.jpg" data-mid="27622297" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/64c6d4227e10fa969aa67814157482b4d1d6d9c7065e635faa607ad201f17c5d/44980863_10155733000942256_5930889453936574464_o.jpg" /> The performance in the Museo Macro was based on a fighting game inspired by Greco-Roman wrestling, first contested at the ancient Greek Olympic games. Eight couples took part and each couple grappled with each other with the object of the game being to gain possession of a relay baton which represents knowledge, because knowledge is power. Each performer learnt a ‘move’, like the GraecoRoman moves from the original game, so that they could stay in a position for a few minutes, then continue to wrestle until they hold another position for a few minutes and so on. The fighting game took place in the main hall of the Macro. As the performers grappled with each other the close contact and sinuous movement of the ten couples merged into a hallucinatory erotic dream sequence, reminiscent of Antonioni’s desert scene in Zabriskie Point. But this was a battle for knowledge, knowledge that is hard to gain, for whoever possesses this knowledge clings to it and keeps it to themselves, trying to prevent others from gaining it.&nbsp; <img width="1200" height="802" width_o="1200" height_o="802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fc1d77bef081dceafe31be20ce7472b1984c7d8d84d00184cf46f8a98bf7bff0/45085101_10155733000812256_2319102466609643520_o.jpg" data-mid="27622298" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fc1d77bef081dceafe31be20ce7472b1984c7d8d84d00184cf46f8a98bf7bff0/45085101_10155733000812256_2319102466609643520_o.jpg" /> <img width="1200" height="802" width_o="1200" height_o="802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7fb3014615aba7be35febe72d735494e9fde03983cfe631ac11e17a3184274ac/45085800_10155733001022256_516867965107306496_o.jpg" data-mid="27622299" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7fb3014615aba7be35febe72d735494e9fde03983cfe631ac11e17a3184274ac/45085800_10155733001022256_516867965107306496_o.jpg" /> <img width="1200" height="802" width_o="1200" height_o="802" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b4ed69805dbb94412e30fbae7a840ad20b8e6d33178d9c6366802cded606cad9/45188530_10155733000497256_7344162229530394624_o.jpg" data-mid="27622300" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b4ed69805dbb94412e30fbae7a840ad20b8e6d33178d9c6366802cded606cad9/45188530_10155733000497256_7344162229530394624_o.jpg" /> Video by Monkeys Video Lab (Alessio Rucchetta, Valerio Sammartino, Simone N. Valente. Special thanks to Ignazio Giordano for the video animation, Francesca Sandroni for the live set &nbsp;and Valeria Rugi for the choreography assistance. Thanks to the performers: Vanessa Aguirre, Gaia Altucci, Ludovica Cadeddu, Giancarlo Chiancone, Silvia Cogotzi, Matteo Coluccia, Alice Consigli, Simone De Renzo, Cosimo Desii, Dalila Doro Mulargia, Isabella Pieroni, Priscilla Terenzi, Greta Tossani, Zoya Shokoohi. https://robertpettena.net/Paris-Green Tue, 12 Mar 2019 20:52:59 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Paris-Green The Door Paris Green Green, curated by Sergio Risaliti, Manifattura Tabacchi, Firenze.17 September 2018 <img width="1031" height="1500" width_o="1031" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c5a4d128c0f26f0d9d71e6226f4c8c9a30e7b9fb73258bda8397348481760527/Poster.jpg" data-mid="37472358" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c5a4d128c0f26f0d9d71e6226f4c8c9a30e7b9fb73258bda8397348481760527/Poster.jpg" /> “The colour green can never be ecological because of the way that it’s made. It’s impossible to make green plastic or to print with green ink on paper without contaminating” (Alice Rawsthorn, the New York Times 4th April 2010). “Paris Green” is an inorganic, synthetic pigment that was invented towards the end of the eighteenth century in England, during the Victorian era. Soon after its invention the first deaths of workers producing the wallpaper that contained the toxic element arsenic were recorded. People who bought the wallpaper and covered their walls with it also died mysteriously in their unventilated rooms. Even Napoleon’s residence in Sant’Elena had walls decorated with green wallpaper that contained arsenic, which led to the suspicion that it was the cause of his gradual poisoning. But recent studies have revealed that the real cause of his death was Helicobacter pylori, which resulted in stomach cancer. Even today, a veil of mystery surrounds objective data and belief systems and our green colour continues, despite everything, to convey the message of sustainability. https://robertpettena.net/The-Door Tue, 12 Jun 2018 20:20:47 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/The-Door The Door The Door Watch the performance Politics of Dissonance, curated by Mike Watson, Manifesta 12 Collateral Events, Palermo. July 2018 <img width="854" height="475" width_o="854" height_o="475" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d9df62b3feb8d1eb1e9555dae42ac649d695ea1288a47e4c7af988dc6fbed1b1/corse-clandestine-3-bis.jpg" data-mid="19606688" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/854/i/d9df62b3feb8d1eb1e9555dae42ac649d695ea1288a47e4c7af988dc6fbed1b1/corse-clandestine-3-bis.jpg" /> <img width="856" height="480" width_o="856" height_o="480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de85081c309e03fd70e2874f03b4f934d30c9c7d5c87d13fae4860de865c98bd/corse-clandestine-5-bis.jpg" data-mid="19606690" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/856/i/de85081c309e03fd70e2874f03b4f934d30c9c7d5c87d13fae4860de865c98bd/corse-clandestine-5-bis.jpg" /> The original function of the old city walls is long forgotten. Although they no longer provide a physical barrier they still form a significant element of the urban environment and have aesthetic and historic value. Youth subculture can give new meaning to the ancient sleeping city limits, re-emphasising their strategic role. The younger generation’s home made music and sports, such as skateboard and bmx freestyle, revive the urban fabric, taking it over playfully. &nbsp;Spectacular acrobatic events focus attention on the ancient walls, transforming the performer, high up on top of the walls, into demiurge, shaman, the centre of attention, taking playful control. The city gate was strategically the most important, yet the most vulnerable point in the ancient city wall. They witnessed historical events from the lookout rooms at the top, which controlled every entrance and exit. They were a customs point, where every kind of cultural and material exchange was filtered and controlled. Today the city gates mark a virtual limit to mass motor traffic. Colonies of pigeons live in them, filling every crack and constantly fluttering from one crevasse to another. The younger generation, always looking for empty industrial buildings, scrubland, abandoned farm houses for their raves, could bring the tops of the city gates back to life with their sound systems. Speakers installed in the city gates' lookout rooms could provide a place for them to exchange sounds, using each city gate as a reference point, an energetic element within a web of potentially explosive sound. Thus each city gate could become an energetic element within a web of potentially explosive, experimental sound, intermingled with&nbsp;occasional performances. Each city gate would&nbsp;become a temple of sound,&nbsp;interacting with the others, sending messages between each other, collaborating and&nbsp;challenging each other. The sounds generated throughout the year could bounce from city gate to city gate until they propagated themselves, leading to certain days in the year when the city would be invaded by strange sounds, completely different from the constant hum of daily traffic that we have become so used to. <img width="924" height="614" width_o="924" height_o="614" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/955ed53d7b75e9a3e6b91552e111f483add0fc1c00e7817acbddbd7b8d95c12f/okBN_A22-Lasinio-Saccomazzone-FILEminimizer-924x635.jpg" data-mid="19607555" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/924/i/955ed53d7b75e9a3e6b91552e111f483add0fc1c00e7817acbddbd7b8d95c12f/okBN_A22-Lasinio-Saccomazzone-FILEminimizer-924x635.jpg" /> <img width="891" height="712" width_o="891" height_o="712" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/508a6e60df93a167f91984590d0f66ca1d7c9e75cb3903da71677cd75ed33cad/ok.jpg" data-mid="20260047" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/891/i/508a6e60df93a167f91984590d0f66ca1d7c9e75cb3903da71677cd75ed33cad/ok.jpg" /> Special thanks to the DJ Francesca Sandroni and to the VJ Ignazio Giordano. https://robertpettena.net/Wine-Underpants Sat, 21 Oct 2017 21:24:28 +0000 Robert Pettena https://robertpettena.net/Wine-Underpants Wine Underpants&nbsp; Artist Residence curated by Daria Filardo, “Cantieri Aperti” IV edition, organized by Semi Cattivi, Borgo del Ponte (Massa). September 2017 <img width="1200" height="900" width_o="1200" height_o="900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e18b790da38af004516995edf7ff45deafc765834d2b713ea8f7e773b28accc8/wine_underpants3.jpg" data-mid="6230351" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e18b790da38af004516995edf7ff45deafc765834d2b713ea8f7e773b28accc8/wine_underpants3.jpg" /> “&nbsp;There are five There are either no pavements or very narrow ones. The houses are low; you can see into them through the downstairs windows and almost climb up to the first floor. It feels like an isolated place, not a neighbourhood within the city. There are only a few roads in the area called Borgo del Ponte, where the inhabitants have a strong sense of community and people don’t visit accidentally. Everyone you encounter lives here. They all know each other and they are all acquainted with the history of past generations of each other’s grandparents, parents and grandchildren. There are powerful stories about someone who was once a partizan, then a highly political worker, and now it’s difficult to decide what precisely he is since everything is more fluid. But the memories of the past still influence the young people of today. We’re surrounded by mountains covered in green woods and in front at the horizon is the sea. People are affected, influenced by the sour marine environment, a welcoming environment but not a place for sailers. They are used to being watchful and rooted in a place where people can disappear into the thick forest trees and the rain can cause landslides. People stay in the streets, they know you’re not from there and offer to show you the way if you’re lost. In the few narrow streets that you get to know almost at once, or in the windows of a shop or studio you glimpse wooden objects. A little ladder composed of just two steps, just for seeing what’s going on inside the houses, a stool for one or better still for two people to sit on and chat while they drink a glass of wine. In fact there are some little niches that have been carved out for resting ones glass. Normally in Italian villages you notice chairs in the streets outside people’s doors, where neighbours gather to sit, watch and gossip about what’s going on. But here there’s no need to take chairs outside because there are moveable stools in the street. Indeed if the grandmothers need to look after their grandchildren, a stool can be used as a desk and the glass become a pencil and pen holder. If, on the other hand, you keep a stool in the house, perhaps because it’s winter and raining hard, you can put pots of plants on it, you can even put plants in the glasses. Or you can wear a stool like “wine underpants,” putting your legs through the gap between the legs and sitting on the lowest step, leaning your elbows on the higher step and sipping something as you think and watch. “Wine underpants” is the name of the intervention that Robert Pettena has decided to create and to leave in the neighbourhood of Borgo del Ponte at the end of the theatre, music, performance, visual art residence of 2017. The stool/ladder/desk/wine underpants has been created in several different ways. It’s not unique object; it’s something people use; it hasn’t been created in order to be exhibited, but exists together with other things. You can find it in among design objects in a shop, displayed in the window and if you don’t know, it’s hard to tell that it’s not one of their design objects. But there’s a clue if maybe you’ve been sitting on the wine underpants and you’ve had a few drinks and perhaps you see crooked pots of flowers on the tables in the shops, because Robert has used a layer of clay to balance them so that they look as if they will fall over. Or you might find wine underpants outside the carpenter’s shop, and since it’s made of wood, it seems like something he’s made, that he’s sitting on, chatting with friends near the fountain. Or in the space decorated with works by young artists, perhaps to confuse things a bit. Robert Pettena has walked in the streets and got to know some of the people, leaving non-invasive traces, almost disguised as part of the environment, without imposing his ideas, but rather feeling the spirit of the place and allowing something to emerge. “Wine underpants” is transformed, according to who uses it and what they use it for. Who knows what it will become after a couple of years, how many more things it could become.” Daria Filardo <img width="960" height="720" width_o="960" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c9532b62f80f2b504c1d06055391626c56864aaa312f852f8f53a83cc68a6e18/winepants_design1.jpg" data-mid="6230383" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/960/i/c9532b62f80f2b504c1d06055391626c56864aaa312f852f8f53a83cc68a6e18/winepants_design1.jpg" /> <img width="960" height="720" width_o="960" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f689d71b25f37b352e98253aafb6490c8088737a9f4d15aa69cb7c309d2b1ada/winepants_design2.jpg" data-mid="6230378" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/960/i/f689d71b25f37b352e98253aafb6490c8088737a9f4d15aa69cb7c309d2b1ada/winepants_design2.jpg" /> <img width="1200" height="900" width_o="1200" height_o="900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7ae3e7735bbbe622c206eedbaaec8b857cc645cf0a8881d6f434646dfe5b3bd3/nobalance1.jpg" data-mid="6230372" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7ae3e7735bbbe622c206eedbaaec8b857cc645cf0a8881d6f434646dfe5b3bd3/nobalance1.jpg" /> <img width="960" height="720" width_o="960" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3366681cb6fe48e2fdd2fc1ff2113ab2be7dab6abae1ceaae4bee1152cc8dcbf/nobalance3.jpg" data-mid="6230375" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/960/i/3366681cb6fe48e2fdd2fc1ff2113ab2be7dab6abae1ceaae4bee1152cc8dcbf/nobalance3.jpg" /> <img width="1200" height="900" width_o="1200" height_o="900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/36ae880696e87356382ef1bb6c8f3e32111d1ab024fb02a7e91a801ff0df5c45/nobalance2.jpg" data-mid="6230373" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/36ae880696e87356382ef1bb6c8f3e32111d1ab024fb02a7e91a801ff0df5c45/nobalance2.jpg" /> Special thanks to the producer: Mastrolegno (Ferrone, Greve in Chianti).