DormitioVirginis/Wheath:seeds,cults ,cultures ,agricolture (journey trough Irpinia).
http://www.vimeo.com/17000830
Concept:it is an ongoing project based in Irpinia, a mountainous area in the province of Avellino, between the southern italian regions of Campania, Basilicata and Puglia. It is a transition area connecting , east and west coast.The route of wheat passes through this region, that has been for centuries an area of extensive cultivation. During the 20th century a massive process of immigration has depleted this area of its inhabitants , also in this period Irpinia has been devastate three times by earthquakes:in 1930 ,1962 and most recently in 1980, this last catastrophe is known as the Irpinia’s earthquake.
The Madonna Assunta worship, also known as Dormitio virginis. is expressed in this area ,through several religious fairs, and, festivals, in the period of the late Summer (august 15th). Her initiatory death,, which prepares for a new life, is the death of the the nature which ,deprived of vital forces, withdraws into itself.http://www.vimeo.com/17000830
Concept:it is an ongoing project based in Irpinia, a mountainous area in the province of Avellino, between the southern italian regions of Campania, Basilicata and Puglia. It is a transition area connecting , east and west coast.The route of wheat passes through this region, that has been for centuries an area of extensive cultivation. During the 20th century a massive process of immigration has depleted this area of its inhabitants , also in this period Irpinia has been devastate three times by earthquakes:in 1930 ,1962 and most recently in 1980, this last catastrophe is known as the Irpinia’s earthquake.
As this cult is linked to the seasonal cycle, it is connected to the worship of the Two Goddess Demeter and Persephon,,as recounted in the Homeric Hymns (c. 650 B.C ).Demeter was the goddess of agriculture and of fertility
The objectives of the project DormitioVirginis/Wheath: seeds ,culture,cults,agriculture (journey through irpinia) are the making of a video structured in several episodes, and the construction of a landscape size statue of a lying down female. This sculpture, made of earth to be sown with cereals, is supposed to follow the whole natural cycle up to the harvest.Working simultaneously on the statue and the video through workshops and performances, the project engages artists and inhabitants in several villages of the area.This work aims to investigate the process of reconstruction, re-foundation and new civilization in Irpinia ,from the point of view of the lost rural identity and of contemporary culture of wheat . The first part of the video, "episode 00", is the prologues. It has been presented in an informal preview at INTERFERENZE rurality 2.0 new arts festivals 23/07/20010 ,Bisaccia (av) , Italy.
