Page 35 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 14
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CHriStiaN HoLStad at VeNiCe
ith the site-specific installation
Wby Christian Holstad, Consi-
der yourself as a guest (Cornucopia),
inedito senso negativo di “ec- pianeta e sul nostro ruolo di con- FPT Industrial, a brandof the CNH
cesso”. La sua Cornucopia mira sumatori che alimentano que- Industrial group and a leader in the
dunque a sensibilizzare il pubbli- sta crescente massa di plastica», production of industrial engines, an-
co in modo chiaro e immediato, spiega Holstad. nounces its commitment to support
the arts. The artwork will be exhibited
letteralmente “portando a galla” La presentazione dell’opera ne- at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice:
un problema di assoluta attua- gli spazi della Ca’ Foscari con- from 9 to 11 May 2019 on the water
lità, non lasciandolo nascosto ferma la vocazione etica del pro- of the Canal Grande and from 12 May
to 12 June 2019, it will be displayed at
nei fondali del mare. «La nostra getto: l’ateneo, infatti, dal 2010 the university courtyard. The project
dipendenza dalla plastica non è incoraggia ogni anno compor- reveals made particularly evident by
sostenibile. I suoi effetti si stanno tamenti che riducano l’impatto its role as the Main Sponsor of Italian
Pavilion at the 58th International Art
espandendo nei nostri continen- dell’Università sull’ambiente, Exhibition of “La Biennale di Vene-
ti e nelle nostre acque. Consider promuovendo il benessere del- zia”. Indeed, from April 2019, FPT
yourself as a guest è una riflessio- la comunità, l’equità sociale e lo Industrialis a partner for the European
ne sull’impatto che abbiamo sul sviluppo economico. Clean Sea Life project which promotes
awareness-raising activities aimed at
protecting the sea from waste pollu-
tion. In 2018, the Clean Sea Lifepilot
initiative saw the involvement of twel-
ve fishing boats from San Benedetto
del Tronto which, in one work day,
collected 385 kg of waste from the sea,
demonstrating the need for spreading
good practices regarding this subject.
“These are awareness-raising projects
which we believe are a ‘must’ for a
company like ours - says Carlo Mo-
roni, Head of Communication of FPT
Industrial - which has always invested
in research, with the goal of producing
cutting-edge and sustainable engines
that are also environmentally friendly.
The Holstad installation and the Ita-
lian Pavilion sponsorship are a way of
further consolidating our commitment
and to pay homage to Venice”. A cor-
nucopia, an ancient symbol of luck and
abundance, made entirely with plastic
waste, becomes the chance to reflect
on the urgency of tackling the issue
of pollution of our seas. The classical
meaning of this iconic image is thus
distorted by the artist, taking on a new
negative sense of “excess”. “A past
neighbor had a sign on their door whi-
ch read “Consider yourself a guest”. I
walked past it each day for years and it
became an unintended mantra”, says
Christian Holstad. “Our dependence
on plastics is not sustainable. Its effects
are swelling into continents in our wa-
ters. Consider yourself a guest (Cornu-
copia) is a reflection of our impact on
the planet and our consumptive roles
within the growing plastic mass”.
Consider yourself as a guest (Cornu-
copia) aims to raise public awareness
in a clear and immediate way, literally
“bringing to the surface” an absolutely
current problem rather than leaving it
hidden in the depths of the sea.
Mediterraneo e dintorni - 33
