Double exhibition of works in defence of nature

24 June 2011

I AM ONE WITH THE TREES – 50 small sprouts for Teri Volini’s collective work
S. Maria Primary School, 2nd District, Potenza – June–September 2011
Exhibition open on weekdays, 9 am – 1 pm; installation always visible on the outside wall, via Lazio

On 18 June the double exhibition of works in defence of nature opened at the S. Maria Primary School in Potenza, curated by the Delta Centre for Art and Culture and resulting from the interaction with the school of Prof. Volini as artist, environmentalist and educator.

In the International Year of Forests, in agreement with the 2nd District teaching management and with the support of the Order of Agronomists and Foresters of the Province of Potenza, the first part of a complex project, BEING ONE WITH THE EARTH, was carried out; it will continue next autumn with a series of initiatives for the environment and the territory, including tree planting, the planting of an oak dedicated to Joseph Beuys, the creation of a herb garden, symbolic actions, exhibitions, talks, videos and collaborations with public bodies and associations…

The project’s first stage takes shape with “I AM ONE WITH THE TREES”, dedicated to one of the fundamental elements of the environment.

It had previously been officially presented – under the patronage of the Order of Agronomists and Foresters of the Province of Potenza and of the Primary School – at a conference at EFAB in Tito Scalo (PZ), during the renewable energy fair “Energetica” on 2 June, where the collective Work remained on show until the 13th.

The natural continuation is now the double exhibition of the young pupils’ work and of the works and installations of the artist, long devoted to intense awareness-raising in civil society about the environment.

– The exhibition begins outside: on the façade of the school building two giant vertical panels (4 x 1.60 m) make up I AM ONE WITH THE TREES, 50 small sprouts for the collective work, made thanks to 50 “sprouts of society”, so convinced they are “one with the trees” that they wear it written on themselves, proud to communicate together a message of implicit respect for nature to all the citizens passing along via Lazio, throughout the summer.

– Inside are the works of the pupils of the two classes involved (4A and 4D). Guided by their teachers Gaudiosi and Cimadomo, the pupils produced drawings, poems, projects and research, after several months of meetings in which Volini – as a volunteer visiting professor – offered her work to activate the lifelong education for young people to which she has been devoted for years.

The art exhibition proper includes:
– an overview of the LAND ART works (the pleasure of making works of art in harmony with nature) produced by the artist over the last 15 years;
– a series of educational panels on the actions carried out at the same school in previous years, including TENTACULAR INVASIONS, THE GREEN DIARY, THE MANDALA OF THE GREEN EARTH and THE SORTED ROOM;
– prominently displayed, the most recent works, including some “ARTIST’S MANIFESTOS”, the innovative works in which Teri Volini uses her own image and/or that of other people who share her commitment to the environment, to stimulate new perceptions of reality, new thoughts, new lifestyles:
– I AM ONE WITH THE SUN: 80 people lent their image to the work of collective self-awareness in favour of clean energy – panel 1.60 x 2.60 m;
– I AM ONE WITH THE WATER: 40 people collaborated on the work of collective self-awareness in defence of water – panel 5 x 6 m, divided between outside (via Calabria entrance) and inside (atrium);
– HANDS OFF THE COMMONS: a powerful archetype of integrity and courage, to stress the need to defend everyone’s goods even at the cost of “baring our teeth” – panel approx. 1.60 x 2.60 m;
– I BEND OVER BACKWARDS FOR NATURE – AND YOU? Installation, quadruple panel, approx. 2 x 0.70 m

More images on the blog: Exhibition of works by Teri Volini in defence of the Earth · I am One with the Trees, a living sculpture