The Perspective of a Blind Eye

“The specific pre-appearance which art shows is like a laboratory where events, figures and characters are driven to their typical, characteristic end; this essential vision of characters and situations, inscribed in every work of art, presupposes possibility beyond already existing reality.”

(Ernst Bloch)

The point of departure for the exhibition is the collective endeavour to understand the local through the prism of the “other”. The Perspective of a Blind Eye, an exhibition project resulting from a one month residency of two Czech and one Slovak artist at Casa Masaccio, aims to comprehend and analyze the indigenous in order to scrutinize and elaborate on subjects connected to local modes, mechanisms and dynamics of contemporary life in the area. 

Although the exhibition presents a different perspective up on local phenomena, it escapes the implementation of a definite and reductive understanding of local reality. Works introduced in the show should thus be perceived as a series of subjective impressions and personal points of view. Even though respective artists have conducted their own research and employed strategies characteristic for their artistic practice, the exhibition as whole should be understood as a collective project, where particular approaches meet and construct a “fragmented” view up on local reality.

Among other, works in the exhibition reflect up on subjects of urbanism, social modes of behaviour, inter-communal relations and various seemingly marginal specifics, characteristic for the area. While the process of mirroring the local plays a vital part in introduced works, the continuous awareness of the prospect of misinterpretation, paired with the sense of the “other” operating within the local, further stimulates the dialogue with the local public, initiated in the process of exploiting the project. This dialogical relationship with the audience aims to revise the position of the spectator; from passive observer to active mover. Only through this process of empowering the (local) public, can the perspective of the “other” embody a sense of value and “create possibility beyond already existing reality”.

LA PROSPETTIVA DI UN OCCHIO CIECO

"La specifica pre-apparenza che l'arte mostra è come un laboratorio in cui eventi, figure e personaggi sono guidati al loro tipico, caratteristico fine; questa visione essenziale di personaggi e situazioni, inscritta in ogni opera d'arte, presuppone altre possibilità oltre la realtà già esistente. "

(Ernest Bloch)

 Il punto di partenza per la mostra è il tentativo collettivo di comprendere il locale attraverso il prisma dell'"altro". La prospettiva di un occhio cieco, un progetto espositivo frutto della residenza di un mese a Casa Masaccio di due artiste ceche e di uno slovacco, mira a comprendere e analizzare gli abitanti del luogo al fine di verificare e approfondire temi legati alle abitudini locali, ai meccanismi e alle dinamiche della vita contemporanea della zona.

Anche se la mostra presenta una prospettiva differente sui fenomeni locali, essa rifugge l'implementazione di una conoscenza precisa e riduttiva di talerealtà. Le opere presentate nella mostra dovrebbero perciò essere percepite come una serie di impressioni soggettive e di punti di vista personali.Anche se gli artisti di questi paesi hanno condotto la propria personale ricerca e utilizzato le strategie caratteristiche della loro pratica artistica, la mostra, nel suo complesso, dovrebbe essere intesa come un progetto collettivo, in cui approcci particolari si incontrano e costruiscono una visione "frammentata" della realtà locale.

Tra i tanti temi toccati, le opere in mostra riflettono sull’urbanistica, sulle modalità di comportamento sociale, sui rapporti tra le comunità e su specificitàapparentemente marginali, caratteristiche della zona. Mentre il processo di riflettere il locale gioca un ruolo vitale nelle opere presentate, la continua consapevolezza della possibilità di una errata interpretazione, insieme con il senso dell’"altro" che è tipico della dimensione locale, stimola ulteriormente il dialogo con il pubblico locale, avviato nel processo di valorizzazione del progetto. Questo rapporto dialogico con il pubblico si propone di rivedere laposizione dello spettatore, da osservatore passivo a protagonista attivo. Solo attraverso questo processo di potenziamento del (locale) pubblico, puòfar si che la prospettiva dell '"altro" incarni un senso di valore e "crei possibilità oltre la realtà già esistente". 

 

 

Lavore 2

Lavore!!!

Sai che questo è disegnato con il caffè?

Vieni il 17 giugno nel tuo bar preferito e prendi quanti caffè riesci a bere. Potrai così fare parte di un progetto artistico. Il tuo contributo aiuterà infatti ad aumentare la quantità di fondi di caffè che saranno raccolti alla fine di quella giornata e che verranno poi utilizzati per creare un’opera d’arte, una nuova cartina della città di San Giovanni Valdarno. I fondi di caffè indicheranno infatti – su una mappa creata dall’artista ceca Petra Herotova – i luoghi nei quali la gente per lo più tende a riunirsi e a socializzare. Quest’opera farà parte della mostra The Perspective of a Blind Eye (La Prospettiva di un Occhio Cieco), che verrà inaugurata a Casa Masaccio in occasione de La Notte Bianca (25 giugno). Sei invitato anche all’inaugurazione, è chiaro!

Grazie mille.

Petra Herotova 
PS: I mean the coffee bars in real centre of the town at Corso Italia and nearby: Caffé Fiorenza, Pane e Dintorni, Café Martini, Caffé de Corso, Pasticeria Semplici, Caffé Papi, Baraonda, Semplici, Baby Bar

Pasta with Socialism, poppy, nuts and cottage cheese

San Giovanni 2.6.2011

The generation I am a part of, is called the generation of transformation. We were born during the final period of the former regime (around 1980); our childhood is thus mostly connected with this era. Since the 1990’s we are part of an open society. This bipolar experience has a strong influence on artists of my generation; that is also why we are obsessed with the remains of socialism. The „performance” finished, the set remained, small object were lost...

I share these 3 recepies, which were part of my childhood. Pasta, a basic element of Italian gastronomy: featuring local political and geographical experience (socialism, Central Europe).
Spagetti with ketchup, cheee and warm butter

Tagliatelle with poppy, sugar and warm butter

Tagliatelle with nuts, sugar, and warm butter

Tagliatelle with cottage cheese, bacon

Tomáš

Over a week into the residency

Since our arrival over a week ago, we have widely engaged with the area of San Giovanni Valdarno and its surroundings. Our initial aim was to research the area and based on gained knowledge develop an exhibition project that will react to, and further scrutinize selected subject(s). Although we have been given great assistance by people involved with Casa Masaccio, with only two and half weeks to the opening of the exhibition we feel that our initial goal to capture and fully understand the complexities of the location, its history, gradual development and most importantly its people, at this point becomes merely impossible.
Our aim is to present an honest project, with works that will someone communicate with the local audience, rather than follow our initial plan. We want to avoid superficial gestures that would most probably result in works aiming to be engaged, yet empty and possibly arrogant on the inside. For this reason the artist as a social worker has been transformed to the observer, who formulates comments rather than ultimate and reductive conclusions. I believe than even small gestures may lead to grand narratives and result in probable change.
So far we would like to touch up on subjects of urban planning, local modes of socializing and thus the sense for communal behavior. I as curator am particularly interested in the subject of agriculture and its relation to the self-sufficiency of the region and its close relation to the local viewpoint on nuclear power, possibly also leading to the communal mentioned above. Last but not least is our interest in the space of the Casa Masaccio gallery, which with the beginning of the exhibition will open to the public, but not only on a physical but also on a psychological level.

Marketa

The useful things that I have never seen at home

Who was the first to park the bycicle in such strange and interesting way in San Giovanni I have never seen before?

Tomas Dzadon 
San Giovanni 3.6.2011

After arrival

First of all let me introduce myself; my name is Markéta Stará and I’m a curator based in Prague, Czech Republic, currently in residency at Casa Massacio with one Slovak and two Czech artists – Tomáš Džadoň, Petra Herotová and Eva Jiřička. Before briefly introducing our residency project, I would like to thank the entire Casa Massacio „team“ for their worm welcome and generous help during our first two days at San Giovani Valdorno.

Our initial project for the residency at Casa Massacio, titled Re-inventing architecture dealt with potential abandoned sites within the area of the town and its suburbs. Our plan was to select and engage with this location and propose a new function for the site, based on the wishes and needs of the local community. Although we haven’t given up on our position of artists as „social workers“ and movers of established social modes of behaviour, finally we have decided to rather direct our attention unswervingly to the local community, rather than aiming for a project that would most likely result in a “utopian dream” with possibly no ramifications, from which the local community could benefit. We believe that our different point of view; the understanding and perception of the local through the eyes of someone coming from outside may disclose and point to factors invisible for the indigenous. Our aim is to focus on the seemingly marginal and within the broader social, political and historical context position these observations under further scrutiny. Although our interest is directed to the very basic elements of the everyday our aim is to make use of the historical sense for the communal and bring back the need for inter-social exchange. For this reason it is very likely that the local community will hopefully feel our presence not only at the occasion of the white night but also possibly through a series of performance in the public domain, that will hopefully take place throughout our stay and will simultaneously enable us to familiarize ourselves and directly engage with the local community.

Through this blog we will keep you updated on our activities and research every other day, depending on the amount of research, observations and progress. If you are interested in our project or feel the need to participate, do come and talk to us! We are very interested in your feelings about the local community or any other information that may help us in familiarizing ourselves with the town, its areas and most importantly its people.

Markéta