The aim of the Mail Art Project: Cura di Sé e Cura dell’Altro (Care of Oneself and Care of the Other), organised by the ASL Biella Training and Human Resources Development Service in collaboration with Cittadellarte and Fondazione Bonotto, is to explore the different facets of care through art. As reported in a previous article, the project, with a strong artistic and reflective imprint, invited creative people of all ages to express the theme of care through postal art. The call was divided into three calls to the arts, addressed to students from Biella, Italian students and artists from all over the world. The call for entries was a success: 2176 works were submitted to the jury, all of which will be displayed at Cittadellarte in the dedicated exhibition running from 22 April to 22 May. The exhibition will be open to the general public on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 7 pm, while school groups can book guided tours during the week. “Initially,” stressed Vincenzo Alastra, Head of the ASL BI Training Service, “our call was addressed to secondary school students only, but it was with great joy that we discovered that the importance of the theme of care also reaches younger as well as older people”. The idea for the call took shape within the framework of the Protocol of Understanding ‘Permanent workshop: Care of Oneself and Care of the Other’, signed by ASL BI and five high schools from the Biella area; during the 2021/2022 school year, the initiative has developed into an international project, thanks to the involvement and participation of artists from all over the world.
The participation
One of the reasons why the outcome has exceeded the expectations of the organisers is the participation of groups not included in the calls: universities, fine arts academies, associations, non-profit organisations and health professionals. “With its 21 weeks in operation,” commented the organisers, “Care on Oneself and Care of the Other: Mail Art Project boasts the submission of many works carried out in groups, reconfirming that the idea of care is a concept that arises above all from the community, from collaboration, cooperation and mutual interest and help”. Some of the most significant participations in terms of numbers have been: the Comprehensive Institute “Cesare Pavese – Candelo Sandigliano”, which took part with 16 classes and over 300 students; Carrara’s Academy of Fine Arts (48 students, 22 works and a total of 123 postcards), the Universities of Bologna and Pavia; Biella’s secondary schools, which took an active part by producing 389 postcards; other Italian secondary schools, with their 25 classes out of 12 institutes, sent 469 works. Ultimately, as reported by the organisers, “the ASL BI Training and Human Resources Development Service was ‘inundated’ with miniature works of art” with a global provenance, i.e. 33 countries, with the largest influx coming from Italy, Germany, the United States, Romania and Spain.
The projection
From tonight, Wednesday 20 April, at 9 pm, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Biella will be the backdrop for the projection of the postcards on the theme of care created by the students of Biella’s secondary schools* (and others) during the first few months of the 2021/2022 school year as part of the project Care of Oneself and Care of the Other. A selection of works will then be projected on the walls of the church every evening until 22 May, always at 9 pm, with a view to animating the city centre with art. The opening of the video mapping will be attended by Councillor Gabriella Bessone, the Bishop of Biella Monsignor Roberto Farinella and a representative of the Health Authority. The initiative is organised thanks to the collaboration of the City of Biella and the Department of Public Education, Youth Policies and Equal Opportunities.
