december 2020. two calls for vajont_restart

The International Artistic Contest Two Calls for Vajont was launched by Dolomiti Contemporanee (DC) in 2014.

Today, with TwoCalls_restart, it resumes, thanks to the collaboration with the ETRAR.T.E. (Rinascita Territoriale Espressiva) Cultural Association, and thanks to funding by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, granted in accordance with the Regional law of July 8^th 2019, no.10 (Day of remembrance for the Vajont tragedy and of Vajont Remembrance recognition), indication of interest for the year 2020.

90° cw – andrea nacciarriti

Premise

DC had already reached the Vajont area in September 2012, welcoming a proposal by the then municipal administration (Major Luciano Pezzin), with the reopening of the former Elementary School of the Casso locality (Municipality of Erto and Casso, PN), closed down in 1963 and later restored (by architect Valentino Stella), turning it into the Nuovo Spazio di Casso, i.e. a Centre for Contemporary Mountain and Landscape Culture which, since then, has been operating in the scope of visual arts and a transformative, re-innovative and projective vision for the territory.

This remains entirely coherent with DC’s project and disposition as the organisation has, since 2011, faced numerous lost sites in the dolomitic region; lifeless sites, or ones woefully underutilised in the context of their inherent potential, clearly open to the possibility of regenerative action, which always constitutes a resource for the territory and its inhabitants.

Sites burdened by heavy and exemplary challenges, faced with the unmistakable thought that no place can be eternally preyed upon by the kind of inertia which has bound it inside a specific historical phase; even in such cases, as it is for the Vajont, where the issues plaguing the area are linked to an awful tragedy.
However, human beings, when they elect to shoulder their reactive spirit, are more resilient than any calamity.

And art, like culture, is a critical mechanism of the creative conscience, which is capable of reacting to dangerous and warped impasses, turning each sealed fate into an opportunity for redemption.

Two Calls immediately presented itself as an atypical initiative, when confronted with standard Contests.

The point wasn’t as much, or even mainly, to create two contemporary art pieces, one for the Dam, and the other to be placed on the southern façade of the Spazio di Casso.

The end goal was more so – and this was explicitly stated from the start – to offer the tools for an articulated and shared platform for reflection, in the heart of the Vajont area, focused on the concepts of regeneration and momentum, open towards the whole world, not just the areas affected by events of October 9^th, 1963.

Ever since 2014, the Contest has overseen the inception of a support network for the initiative, which was launched in collaboration with Enel, and sponsored by many Institutions, both administrative, public, as well as singular entities (Ministry for the Environment, Dolomiti UNESCO Foundation, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Veneto Region, Pordenone Province, Belluno Province, Vajont Foundation, Erto and Casso, Claut, Cimolais, Vajont, Longarone, and Belluno Municipalities, Consorzio Bim Piave, National Order of Architects, Landscapers and Preservers, as well as a few relevant cultural partners (Mart Rovereto, Merz Torino Foundation, CCC Strozzina Firenze, Institut Francais, Pianoproject, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation).

This has been all well-documented in the written pieces published then and afterwards (www.twocalls.net).

In 2015, the Contest’s Jury, which included Marc Augé, Pier Luigi Basso, Maria Centonze, Cristiana Collu, Gianluca D’Incà Levis, Alfredo Jaar, Marcella Morandini, Franziska Nori, Angela Vettese, disclosed the winners.

After almost 180 proposals reached Two Calls from all over Italy and abroad, 75 were the projects chosen as finalists (48 for a call for a line; 27 for a call for a wall).

The winner for a call for a line was 90° cw, by Andrea Nacciarriti.

The winner for a call for a wall was Remrite-rewrite, by Dimitri Giannina.

The winner for the DC-Acqua Dolomia-line Special Prize was Tra le line, by Mahatsanga Le Dantec/Micol Grazioli.

Tied for victory in the DC-Acqua Dolomia-wall Special Prize were Riflessione estatica, by Daniela Di Maro, and Ritratti, by Monica Biancardi.

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December 2^nd,2020: Two Calls_restart, the Contest resumes its path towards the final phase and the construction of the winning pieces.

Today, thanks to the collaboration with the ETRAR.T.E. (Rinascita Territoriale Espressiva) Cultural Association, and to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional law of July 8^th 2019, no.10 (Day of remembrance for the Vajont tragedy and of the Vajont Remembrance recognition). Indication of interest for the year 2020, the Contest resumes.

Two Calls_restart matches with the final phase, which aims to the actuation of a series of preliminary initiatives for the construction of the two winning pieces within 2021.

The planned initiatives include: the construction of the executive projects of the two winning pieces; the creation of an online exhibit (www.twocalls.net, in the dedicated section Two Calls_restart), which will make the creation of a display of a selection of projects which reached the final possible; the hosting of three public events, held remotely or in person, according to the contemporaneous situation, aiming to involve the local community, as well as the public at large, promoting a participative and shared process which may be able to explain the motives and meaning of the pieces, as well as the kind of process that handles Remembrance through constructive culture and quality artistic research; the disclosure and communication of the contents which are being covered; the involvement in an important International Exhibition (may/November 2021) focused on Resilience and sustainability, as well as the value of public art in territorial regeneration.

remrite/rewrite – dimitri giannina

Info at:

Dolomiti Contemporanee

Nuovo Spazio di Casso

Via Sant’Antoni 1

33080 Casso (Erto e Casso) – Pordenone

www.dolomiticontemporanee.net

info@dolomiticontemporanee.net – press@dolomiticontemporanee.net

Two calls for Vajont – Concorso Artistico Internazionale

www.twocalls.net – info@twocalls.net

Associazione Etrarte

Udine

www.associazionetrarte.it

etrarte@associazionetrarte.it