UNIDEE celebrates its 20th anniversary with a programme characterised by its innovativeness, among new themes, contents and mentors. The background and foundation of the educational project are once again Cittadellarte’s artistic practice and the principles of the Third Paradise: the recurring elements are the structure in modules centred on predefined key words (as it has been since 2015, the year that marked the beginning of a new phase for UNIDEE) and the ongoing partnerships with historical institutions, with which it will continue to carry out a specific programme of international residencies. In regard to the new features, in line with a strategy of strengthening and rethinking the modules, UNIDEE’s staff have selected three key notions – collective agency, climate action, modes of instituting – summarising three of the most important concepts at the basis of the mission of Cittadellarte and of Michelangelo Pistoletto’s sign-symbol, in part already developed in the course of the previous modules.
Valerio Del Baglivo – standing – during the presentation of the summer camp on Monday.
Fernando Garcia Dory’s contribution to the presentation of the summer camp on Monday.
This led to the organization of a special summer camp (started yesterday, 8th July) which sees the participation of 16 international artists and three visiting tutors. The core topic of this initiative – running till Friday 12th July – is climate action, strongly linked to both the themes of sustainability the Third Paradise conveys and to the social responsibility necessary to promote a virtuous change in green issues. Not only that: it refers to goal no. 13 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (‘Climate action’). In view of analysing this issues in depth, UNIDEE has invited three artists who have somehow already undertaken projects and programmes of agroecology, communities of practice of emancipation from oil derivative products, imagining new horizons for our society. They are Luigi Coppola, Fernando Garcia Dory and Brett Bloom: “Theirs – says to us Valerio del Baglivo, UNIDEE’s visiting curator – are long-term artistic practices. Luigi has founded the ‘House of Agricultures’ in Salento, Fernando has started a similar project on the Pyrenees called ‘INLAND’ and Brett runs study camps in which he teaches how to free ourselves from our dependence on the use of oil in our daily lives”. Their three modules are called Evolutionary popolations: the seeds of the world waiting to germinate (curated by Luigi Coppola), Towards an expanded landscape (curated by Fernando Garcia Dory) and Petro-subjectivity and social ecology (curated by Brett Bloom).
Mentors and residents visiting Lanificio Botto in Miagliano (Biella).
The summer camp includes a few innovative features compared to past modules: “We have made changes and experimented with new formats, – continues Del Baglivo – shortening UNIDEE’s workshops to three days. For the summer term, we have decided to organize three modules carried out simultaneously. This way, for the first time mentors can meet other mentors working on similar topics and practices”. In addition, the participants in the modules in programme will be able to engage with three different tutors; each of them will work in close contact with his own group, but many will be the opportunities for collective interaction.
