shows

The three opening days, from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th May, are featuring a succession of meetings, conferences, shows, performances, special film programs and screenings. As part of its multidisciplinary approach, Fotografia Europea is hosting artists and leading players from the world of art and culture. They have been invited to address the proposed theme together with the curators and photographers involved in the project, actively contributing to a programme designed to combine different forms of creativity and intellectual approaches – from photography to art, from literature to philosophy, from music to theatre. The conference guest lists include the philosopher Luisa Muraro, the political scientist Carlo Galli, the philosopher Roberto Esposito, the historian Alberto Melloni, the journalist and writer Gian Antonio Stella, the literary critic Marco Belpoliti, the writers Franco Arminio and Giorgio Boatti, the journalist Michele Smargiassi, the photography historian Roberta Valtorta and others. The reflection on the work and vision of Luigi Ghirri is not restricted to the numerous references found throughout the scheduled exhibits, but also includes a special presentation on 7th May of the Luigi Ghirri Digital Library at the Sala degli Specchi of the Valli Theatre, hosting Quentin Bajac, head of the photography department of the Musée National d'Art Moderne – Centre Georges-Pompidou. On Saturday, 7th May, Piazza Prampolini is the setting for Oh Italia Mia. I canti popolari del Risorgimento italiano (Oh my Italy. Folk songs from the Italian Risorgimento), a project by Ambrogio Sparagna on behalf of the Orchestra popolare italiana with Peppe Servillo and Angela Baraldi. On the evening of Sunday, 8th May, a Tribute to the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy bicycle race) is being staged in Piazza Prampolini, with Reggio Emilia hosting the 2011 Corsa Rosa (2011 Pink Race) to revisit the history of a sporting event that belongs to our nation's historical heritage and culture and is part of our national identity. Images from the historical archives of Giro d’Italia/RCS will be shown with accompanying tunes played by the Nicola Conte DJ set. A musician and songwriter whose work spans from singer-songwriter songs to jazz, film track music and production, Conte is regarded as one of the Italy's most accomplished artists on the international scene. Every year the Quartieri Illuminati  (Lighted quarters) initiative of Fotografia Europea puts the spotlight on unexpected and unexplored areas of Reggio Emilia, providing an opportunity to appreciate  places outside the old town centre and revealing the potential of a sprawling city. As a special occasion this year, the Padiglione Lombroso (Lombroso wing) of the San Lazzaro former psychiatric hospital, which is to house the new Museum of Psychiatry, will be opened on completion of restoration works. The building is located at the heart of the city's University Campus, which completes this particular visit. Scheduled Festival initiatives here include an exhibit of the plans related to the restoration works carried out on the site and a photography exhibit entitled Hipstamatic for San Lazzaro, produced by photographers Fabrizio Cicconi, Marco Manfredini, Marcello Grassi, Fabrizio Orsi and Kai-Uwe Schulte–Bunert. Their work involves using iPhone photo applications to offer a vision of the San Lazzaro Lombroso Wing complex (with a text by Riccardo Panattoni in the Fotografia Europea catalogue). On Sunday, 8th May, the building becomes the setting for a performance by the Aterballetto company – the symbol of Italian dance in the world – with performances in the wards and confinement cells coming to a spectacular climax in the courtyard. The event is sponsored by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia in collaboration with the psychiatric services of the Reggio Emilia Healthcare Trust and the Italian National Dance Foundation. Scheduled for Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May at the Rosebud and AlCorso film theatres is the special film screening programme Fotografia italiana. It includes 8 documentary films dedicated to the most internationally renowned Italian photographers Massimo Vitali, Maurizio Galimberti, Piergiorgio Branzi, Mimmo Jodice, Franco Fontana, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Gabriele Basilico and Ferdinando Scianna. This is a Giart - Visioni d’arte production sponsored by the Bologna Film Library, in collaboration with Contrasto. The artists Massimo Vitali, Piergiorgio Branzi and Gabriele Basilico will be attending the event to hold a discussion with art historian Claudio Marra.