“Echoes” is a light art installation that encourages deep engagement with our environment and appreciation of its hidden beauty. It fosters curiosity and enriches our perception. The goal of this project is to capture the essence of the city, reflecting the constant interplay between the sea and wind.
“The void slipped through the walls leaving traces of its passage.” I imagine turning this space into a beacon of light amidst the shadows, a symbol of hope, resilience and opportunity for all those who inhabit or pass through it.”
#Research
Understanding
the Urban Void
As I meandered through the streets of Trieste, I frequently found myself pausing to capture images of seemingly mundane scenes.
To the casual observer, my choices of subject might have seemed perplexing, prompting a questioning look of “why is she taking a picture of that?”
This action, however, often sparked a renewed sense of curiosity in those who happened to be nearby. They would follow the direction of my lens, their gaze imbued with fresh interest, their eyes wide with curiosity. It made me realise that if people could momentarily escape the confines of their thoughts and truly absorb the world around them, they would begin to notice the remarkable beauty that often goes unnoticed.
The city is made out of places: they often fade from the collective consciousness of its citizens, in a kind of omission of everyday urban banality.
The inhabitants are the urban lifeblood and life is present in the city centre as well as in the suburbs and it is here that the focus is placed.
The beauty of art should not be ‘confined’ only to historic centres but must be spread in the “urban ‘crevices’.
A crucial aspect that we should never lose sight of is that a city is a true reflection of its inhabitants, a mirror of those who give it life. If our focus remains exclusively on developing beauty in areas that are already teeming with energy, full of life and activity, we run the risk of neglecting
what I refer to as ‘urban stretch marks’ 1– those interstitial places, the spaces that make the transition from one to another. These are the places that are often forgotten, left behind in the relentless march of the city. Yet, they too form an integral part of the city, contributing to its unique identity in their unobtrusive way.
#concept
Trieste and its elements
Through my art project, I aim to deconstruct and challenge notions of immutability that we frequently encounter in our daily lives with a work of art in a forgotten place.
It will infuse the space with a sense of life, vitality and purpose, a renewal. The aim is to create an environment in which the constant, daily presence of passers-by acts as a deterrent to high-risk social groups, hindering clandestinity and illegality with the complicity of darkness, understood both as a lack of light and colour and as a lack of life stimuli.
In my explorations and wandering around the city, I began to make a series of observations. I noticed a particular tendency of people when they are near the canal and the sea. There seems to be an intrinsic and natural shift in consciousness, a pause, a moment of reflection.
Objectives:
- Revitalise a forgotten part of the city
- Create a sense of wonder and exploration in what had been overlooked.
- Break down the concept of immutability: things can change.
- To rekindle the spark of curiosity
#artwork
The light installation
The work is much more than an aesthetic feat. It is about revitalising the heartbeat of an almost forgotten part of Trieste and injecting new life and vitality into it. The main purpose of redevelopment is to challenge and combat the prevailing idea that everything is immutable, that things cannot change. To inspire transformation and create a more dynamic and engaging environment.
‘Echoes’ challenges us to foster a deeper connection with the spaces we inhabit. It is a light installation designed specifically for the staircase connecting the shopping centre ‘Il Giulia’ and Via dei Bonomo.
It offers a glimpse into the surface of the water, acting as an abstract path connecting the San Giovanni district to the sea, the symbol of Trieste.
What were once flat and neglected stairs, anonymous in their materials and colours, now resemble the beautiful steps of the Molo Audace, where one can plunge with thought into the water and lose oneself in its beauty. It is a parallel between sea level and immersion in city life.
Echoes invites the mind to enter a new perspective of this stairs. The project merges the elements of the city – the water, the sky at sunset – in an interplay of colour and visual experience you can find yourself into while passing there.
“Climbing the stairs, one does not simply move from one point to another. On the contrary, one embarks on a journey, a sensory exploration that challenges perceptions. The colours, ranging from bright blue to soft pink and the violet of twilight, create a dynamic, shifting palette that seeks to capture the essence of Trieste.”
Photos by Giulia Venus Livia (@giuliavenus)
- “Urban Stretch Mark” – the urban fabric, when the city expands in other directions, leaves behind places that are often left to the ravages of time and forgotten in the relentless march of the city. Yet, even these spaces form an integral part of the city, contributing to its unique identity in an unobtrusive way. ↩︎
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union
Culture Moves Europe provides mobility grants for artists and cultural professionals in all 40 creative Europe countries. It covers the sectors of architecture, cultural heritage, design and fashion design, literature, music, performing arts and visual arts. The scheme follows the successful i-Portunus pilot project that took place between 2018 and 2022.
With a budget of €21 million, Culture Moves Europe offers mobility grants to around 7,000 artists, cultural professionals and host organisations from 2022 to 2025. Funded by the creative Europe programme of the European Union, Culture Moves Europe is implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
Location
Trieste, Italy
Client
Culture Moves Europe
Project Type
Art Residency
Category
Site-specific
Claudia Liviart 