This evening at 8.30pm, the Instituto Italiano de Cultura in Madrid will be transformed into a “wishing machine” thanks to the intervention of the artistic duo Antonello Ghezzi (Nadia Antonello and Paolo Ghezzi), who will animate the façade with a light installation by Amerigo Mariotti and Giorgia Tronconi from Adiacenze.
Shooting Stars is the title of the work, and is a project born in 2013 from the artists’ collaboration with the INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) and the Medicina radio astronomy station: the observatory’s measuring instruments, in particular the Croce del Nord radio telescope, allow Antonello Ghezzi to receive in real time the signals of shooting stars passing over a portion of the Mediterranean sky, which become the protagonists of his artistic project.
Following a precious approach to his artistic research, Antonello Ghezzi combines technology, science, reality and poetry to create a wishing device: the shooting stars are numerous, almost one per minute, and their continuous whistling reminds us that, despite the difficulties, there is always a moment to hope and dream.
Having been presented at national and international events and institutions in different forms and angles, Shooting Stars becomes part and parcel of the artistic intervention: an eight-metre luminous sign will cross the façade of the iconic Abrantes Palace, the headquarters of the Institute, creating a direct connection between the sky and the earth.
In addition to the luminous suggestion, there will be another moment of “meeting the stars”: during the opening night, the musician and composer Carlo Piva will perform a duet with the sound of shooting stars live in the Institute’s Salon, in an incredible live set between acoustics and electronics.
