Dal Cielo Alle Strade.

Dal Cielo Alle Strade: Una parata svolazzante del quartiere Isola by  Ruggero Asnago with Teatro in scatola  and Isola Libri with the support of Isola Art Center. 

This year for the 4th birthday of Isola Pepe Verde,  we organised a parade with majestical bird marionettes in the Isola neigbhourhood. The project is by artist Ruggero Asnago,  Elena from the local bookshop Isola Libri and I assisted him in the workshops held every weekend of April at Isola Pepe Verde. The workshops were open to the public - young and old.  It was a beautiful experience working with so many people and getting to know the children of the neighbourhood, and the parade? Well, that was just magical. Just look at the video and see for yourself. Let's do it again next year!

Video by Emanuel Balbinot.



To read more about the events we held on the 14th, see here.

To see more photos, click here.

The book Fight Specific Isola coming to South Africa

I will be heading back to South Africa soon, and I can bring with me some copies of the books Fight Specific Isola. It is a great book for those interested in the role of art in urban transformation, urban theory and social movements. It has various contributors: Bert Theis (Isola Art Center), Charles Esche (director,Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven), Gerald Raunig (philospher, Vienna), Christoph Schafer (Park Fiction, Hamburg) Atelier d'Architecture Autogeree (Paris), Tiziana Villani (philosopher, Milan) and so on. A very particular case study worth reading. The book costs 20 euro, so about R 280. If anyone is interested in a copy, send me an email: ednagee@gmail.com 

"The publication traces the long history of the Isola area of Milan and the organic, spontaneous progress of the Isola Art Center over the past 10 years and more. 

Featuring texts and many images, the book tells the story of an artistic and urban transformation, led by artists, who often had to invent tools and concepts along the way. Fight-Specific Isola serves as an example of how to act on the ground in today’s urban condition. 

Different narratives of history, artistic intervention and action allow the reader to trace the complex idea of collectivity, solidarity and “fight-specificity”. 

Testing new terms such as “dirty cube” and “dispersed center” this book shows a possible way to respond to the constant pressure of neoliberal development and gentrification".

To see more information:http://www.isolartcenter.org/index_eng.php

The contents:

A pledge for Isola: Fight Specific publication

So one of the projects I've been following here in Milan and that has inspired my own research is the projects of Isola Art centre. They have tracking and resisting and fighting the neighbourhoods gentrification which has drastically changed the characteristic of Isola from an old industrial and mixed area to a skyscraper wasteland where any guy with a power trip seems to want a skyscraper erected.  So, Isola is publishing a book, called "Fight - specific Isola.

Art, Architecture, Activism and the Future of the City."  In order to get the book distributed and available at a low cost, they are making use of crowd funding to support the project. Make a pledge and if it reaches its goal of $5,500 dollars, transaction is approved. In return for your pledge, you will receive something back. The quilts from my Isola: Progress and development picnic; are also up for grab.These quilts are hand made and reflects the building skyline of Isola. So go to Kickstarter and make pledge..

Friends: Edith Poirier

I can't believe I haven't done a post on Edith sooner. Edith Poirier is one of my best friends here, I met her at my first day at NABA, and we have been friends ever since. Edith is a painter in heart and soul and the amount of hours that she spends painting in her studio  is unbelievable. Borrowing from the cities she travels to (she always carries a sketch book with her), street art ,publicity images, the burlesque and the circus, she creates painted collages of the city as spectacle. 

Some works also plays around with the concepts of the art history, the way we view art within the art system.

The above mural was painted in the neigbhourhood Isola outside the Garibaldi station  in Milan for the event "In su i Praa" with Isola art centre in May 2012. Her works really works well within urban spaces, and I hope that she can do more street art soon. 

Edith will be participating in the Isola art centre show "Fight-specific Isola" which will be happening all over Milan. Some of Edith's work will be on view at the Isola Libri bookshop, via Pollaiuolo 5, Milan. Read more about Edith on her website or she also has a group on Facebook.