ANIME DI CRISTALLO
SILVIA MARIOTTI
Human beings establish a continuous relationship of mutual influence with the environment and the matter that surrounds them, to the point that it is no longer possible to confine human intelligence to the brain: all bodies encountered, natural or artificial,organic or inorganic, contribute to redefining human identity and participate in existence in the world. All the bodies with which humans interact give rise to a single organism with a single mind, incredibly rich and complex, but also, by its very nature, incredibly fragile. Given this fragility, which it is humankind's task to respect and understand, perhaps all souls, including our own, are crystal souls. This expression comes from the book Crystal Souls. Studies on Inorganic Life, published by biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel in 1917, a few years before his death, revived the concept of the unity of nature conceived by naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, going further and developing the theory, which he called monism, of an indissoluble continuity between inorganic matter and living matter and, by extension, between the physical world and the spiritual world. Haeckel, therefore, proposed that inorganic structures could also possess a soul, that is, they could be endowed with a form of cognition. More than a century later, scientist and writer Laura Tripaldi revisited the definition of "crystal souls" in her article for Il Tascabile, when addressing the topic of matter endowed with inorganic will, and in her book Parallel Minds. Discovering the Intelligence of Materials (2020) delves deeper into the topic, highlighting how materials possess a form of intelligence pervasive throughout their entirety, and "in this new perspective, even bodies we have always considered inert and passive reveal a hidden capacity to weave a web of relationships with ourselves and the world around them." This entire investigation questions humanity's hegemonic position in relation to the environment, subverting the persistent idea, known as anthropocentrism, that the human subject finds itself in an apex and privileged position in relation to other living organisms.
Crystal Souls is a work composed of several elements, both photographic and sculptural, in which I seek to investigate nature and its multiple forms, exploring it through the trends and vectors that allowed it to colonize the world, transform it, and transform itself. The starting point will be the Azores islands, characterized, among many others, by their unique geological and botanical characteristics, located exactly halfway between Europe and America. One of the most important moments in the history of the islands was the arrival of the Portuguese in the 14th century, who colonized the archipelago and introduced their language, culture, and new natural species. In the 15th century, the Azores became an important center of navigation and trade, and the archipelago assumed a fundamental role in transatlantic trade and, later, became a destination and transit point for all the world's great navigators. A complex mosaic of environments, characterized by lush and exuberant vegetation: verdant volcanic cones aligned according to a geometric development determined by continental drift, giving way to vast calderas covered by dense forests within which emerald or deep blue freshwater lakes reside. The unique climate, due to the geographical position and lava soil, allows Mediterranean-type flora to overlap with tropical vegetation. The favorable climatic conditions of this corner of the world have allowed any type of plant species introduced to the region to be accepted. Thousands of species have followed human movements over the centuries, reaching new territories and altering local biodiversity. The spread of exotic plants is one of the many marks left on biodiversity by colonial empires, and centuries later, their legacy in the flora of former colonies is still evident. Indeed, several regions of the world, distant from each other and once occupied by the same European colonial power, are invaded by similar exotic species, now naturalized, which also had consequences for local cultures and ecological balances. Coordinating these exchanges were the botanical gardens that began to emerge in many European cities, where exotic species with nutritional, aesthetic, and medicinal value were studied and cultivated: contributing to this were the most important trading posts and the islands used as stopovers on long transoceanic voyages. Examples of this are the archipelagos of the Azores, off the coast of Portugal, and Saint Helena, off Angola, which today represent two areas of floristic similarity of exotic species in the former territories of the Portuguese empire. Each island of the Azores is a world of its own, in terms of geography and geology, but all are characterized by a natural environment still pristine, magically colorful, and preserved.
ARTIST
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SILVIA MARIOTTI
Born in Italy in 1980, Silvia Mariotti currently lives and works in Milan. She graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino. Her research is based on the investigation of the environment that surrounds her, developed through the stratification of elements drawn from history and literature, social and cultural symbols evoking a sense of unreality, suspended between mystery and marginality. Through photography and installation, Mariotti returns to the image the suggestions and the experiences lived, narrating primarily nocturnal worlds that generate a temporal suspension, whilst concealing at the same time new forms of truth. In 2013 Silvia won first prize in the photography section of the Premio Celeste. In 2016 she was a finalist in the 9th edition of the Talent prize in Rome, and in the same year participated in the FAAP artistic residency programme in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2019 she was a finalist in the Rotary Club of Asolo prize. Mariotti has exhibited in several galleries and public spaces in Italy and abroad, including MACTE Museum of Tremoli, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lissone, the Civic Museum of Recanati, the Civic Gallery of Pirano (SLO), the Lutetia Building - FAAP in Sao Paulo (BR), Centre for the Graphic Arts Ljubljana and at the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino. In 2019 she was awarded the Level 0 prize with GNAM in Rome as part of ArtVerona, while in 2020 she released her artist book De uma estrala à outra published by Boite Edition.
silviamariotti.it
CARRIED OUT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GENERAL DIRECTION FOR CONTEMPORARY CRIATIVITY OF THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF CULTURE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORKOF THE ITALIAN COUNCIL PROGRAM 13
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A PROJECT BY
KARUSSELL APS
PROJECT PARTNERS
RE-ACT - CONTEMPORARY ART LABORATORY AND RESIDENCY PROGRAM, AÇORES
CULTURAL PARTNERS
MUHNAC - NACIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND SCIENCE , LISBON
IAC - AZOREAN ISTITUTE OF CULTURE, AZORES
MACTE - CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM, TERMOLI
KORP FOUNDATION
