Staccando l’ombra da terra (Detaching the Shadow from the Ground) is the title of an installation conceived in two versions: one temporarily exhibited at Villa Borghese, the other permanently installed at the Rebibbia women’s prison, where the project was conceived together with a group of female inmates in a series of meetings during the pandemic. The work consists of a swing oscillating to produce the air intake into organ pipes arranged on the sides—like bars in a cell—emitting a sound similar to human breathing. The title—taken from Daniele Del Giudice’s 1994 novel of the same name (translated in English as Take-Off) as well as the inscription on the swing, “We want to breathe the same air”—suggests the desire for freedom inherent in flight and a sense of coexistence on the planet that goes beyond the limitations imposed on bodies.
Detaching the Shadow from the Ground #1, #2
2021
#1, twentyseven organ pipes, base, steel swing, mechanical and electronic components, compressed air, sound, 323 x 400 x 150 cm. Installation view Villa Borghese park, Rome
#2, eight organ pipes, base, steel swing, mechanical and electronic components, compressed air, sound, 294 x 190 x 150 cm. Permanent installation Casa Circondariale Femminile Germana Stefanini in Rebibbia, Rome. Photo by Simon Exéa
Courtesy: the artist, Beautiful Nature 2021, Rome; Fondazione Merz, Turin
Work realised in collaboration with Fondazione Merz, Turin; Casa Circondariale Femminile Germana Stefanini in Rebibbia, Rome
Workshop Participants: Sonia A., Rossella C., Gioia M., Angela P., Roberta P. and Daniela Z.
