Here we are – like leaves on trees – in autumn.
If Giuseppe Ungaretti were still alive his poems would be hosted in a tweet, which proves the absolute contemporaneity of his poetic compositions, not just for their conciseness, but above all for their capacity to grasp the sense of our precarious existence.
At the time Ungaretti lived and wrote his poems which frequently dealt with the hardships of trench warfare during the first Great War, yet that sense of precariousness still distresses everybody, especially young people and creative minds. That was the starting point of Brigitta Rossetti' s installation that is reminiscent of the same kind of perception but which, rather strangely, highlights a different vision of things, probably as a result of the artist's inextricable relation with nature and all its facets.
An old rusty candelabrum is revived in the shape of a tree supporting a painting by the artist soaking some old pages of Ungaretti's poems.
An old, elegant iron chair lies next to it. |
Fiore dormiente (Sleeping Flower)
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With pages from an old literary text (Horace's book of Epodes) and an old book (the Life of Trees published in 1902) used as a pillow, plus bits of wood and such worn-out obiects such as a doll bed, which was one of the artist's grandmother's toys when she was a child, and an old shelf, have been used by Brigitta Rossetti to create her Fiore dormiente (Sleeping Flower) work.
A white flower which rests on an old doll bed so rich in history as represented by the age of the book pages that have been superimposed and pasted on to make a sort of wrapping blanket, to symbolise that purity and knowledge should never be affected, but rather given protection .
The Italian word dormiente actually contains two shorter terms (oro = gold and mente = mind), maybe meant to indicate a revival or the rebirth of a never achieved and unacknowledged golden age.
Once more the message from the artist aims at giving evidence to the fact that the regenerative power of nature will eventually overcome man's attempts at subduing it. |
The Philosopher's House
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Transparency and lightness are the very substance of Brigitta Rossetti's installation created with very few elements: a broken up book she has painted after covering it with the silhouette of a butterfly, thin iron bars and a square of cotton paper, which contribute to the creation of a sort of house which, whatever way you look at it, seems to be facing an imaginary wind that can sweep away words and thoughts.
Sun, wind and storms do filter in through deliberately non-existent walls; such natural elements have a positive impact since the philosopher's house is different from all the other buildings that men have incessantly been building over large areas of our planet.
The Philosopher's House (such is the title of the work) has been entrusted by Brigitta Rossetti with a peace message: nothing should ever be hidden, let alone our thoughts; walls and barriers should not be erected. Have a look at this tiny house – the artist seems to urge us to do – from any side you wish, and you will meet, on the opposite side, the eyes of another person who is doing the same as you.
This is a way of breaking down that wall of mistrust and suspicion that, unfortunately, more and more often seems to be widespread among the people and cultures in the world. |
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