When rebirth occurs through art: the reconstruction is still in progress in Fontecchio, a town in the province of L’Aquila situated within the Sirente-Velino Natural Park in the Abruzzo region. In this instance it is a metaphorical rather than a material reconstruction: the “artistic” bricks initiating the rebirth will compose a work soon unveiled in the Abruzzo town. On Saturday 13th October, in fact, the curtain will raise on a new work by Michelangelo Pistoletto, a collective creation whose active authors are the citizens. How? The participants will “build” a permanent symbol of the Third Paradise using discarded material from the reconstruction of the area after the earthquake.

The artistic ceremony – in programme as part of the events organized by AMACI for the 14th Contemporary Day – will start at 10.30, when Saverio Teruzzi, coordinator of the Rebirth/Third Paradise ambassadors, will involve the citizens of Fontecchio and the students from local schools in a performative action. The work, which will be accessible any day any time, will be a permanent feature in the park of the former convent of San Francis set in the town centre and therefore in a strategic position of high visibility.

But what is behind the scenes? The creation of the work is promoted by Fontecchio Town Council, curated by Marcella Russo and organized by the cultural association GrandHotel in collaboration with Cittadellarte, Artivazione and Rivista MU6. “The little hamlet, severely damaged by the 2009 earthquake, – write the organizers on the event’s Facebook page – welcomes Pistoletto’s intervention as an opportunity of rebirth, assuming the message of the artist in terms of responsibility and creativity. The operation is part of the cultural project PARCO ARTE DI NATURA, a series of artworks by international artists made with natural or recycled materials. The Third Paradise was strongly desired by Fontecchio Town Council in the person of its mayor Sabrian Ciancone, who – attentive to the themes of culture – has seen in the work of the artist an opportunity for a new beginning for the local community itself.”