150-93 VIII
Art and science as sources of mutual inspiration in a timeless dialogue symbolised by the octagon, a recurring shape in Frederick’s culture and already present in the Arab-Norman culture.
“150-93 VIII” is the site-specific installation by Edoardo Dionea Cicconi, positioned in the centre of the Maqueda Courtyard of the Royal Palace: it follows the radial geometry of the ground.
An octagonal prism conceptually displaying two identities between day and night: at dusk the metamorphosis. During daylight hours, the work absorbs the sun, creating a play of mirrors. In the dark, the mirrors dissolve into transparency.
Illuminating at night, the large panels recreate the effect of the aurora borealis.
Edoardo Dionea Cicconi is the protagonist of “Pioneers of Culture #2”, this series of workshops were launched by Fondazione Federico II to safeguard culture thanks to the collaboration of dedicated scholars and artists. The event is scheduled at the Royal Palace tomorrow, the 4th of July 2023: for the occasion, the installation will be officially exhibited and will be on display until the 20th of August. Here is a preview of the images.
The Rome-born artist reconnects art and science as still today the schism between scientific and humanistic culture, denounced as early as 1959 by Charles Percy Snow, has not yet been resolved. Cicconi, who has exhibited, among others, in Mexico, the United States, Georgia, England, Austria and Lithuania, relates matter and light, continuing his research between art, science and the themes of ‘space’ and ‘time’. He studies the relationship between matter and form, one of the great obsessions of the art of the 20th century. In his works, matter is an artistic medium, but it is also a creative device for investigating the essence of matter in dialogue with the theories of physics. However, there is more: Cicconi’s works consider the transformative relationship of matter with the surrounding reality. ‘150-93 VIII’ is an example of this: the name itself is a code recalling the distance between the Earth and the Sun. 150 million kilometres and 93 million miles. If this distance were to change by even a small amount, it would upset the natural balance, probably destroying all life on planet Earth.
The impact the sun has on the earth is gigantic: it gives rise to solar storms and the release of certain parts of plasma, which arrive through magnetic fields on earth, create an atomic jolt generating colours in the sky, the ‘polar light’. Sunlight and the Earth’s movements determine the seasons, day and night and a myriad of chain reactions impacting our lives on a daily basis. The panels making up the work are opaque and mirror-like during the day, almost symbolising shields. With their mirrors, they reflect all the surrounding space, interacting with it. At night, the transformation takes place so that the panels begin to dissolve until they become transparent. Previously delimiting the space like shields, they now acquire a meaning of openness and become a welcoming space. The sculpture
incorporates within itself multiple octagonals, the space is constructed following a precise geometric sequence. This is subsequently developed through the golden section. “The Fondazione Federico II,” says Gaetano Galvagno, president of the Ars and Fondazione Federico II, “explores a contemporary artistic language capable of bringing art and science together and arousing interest in young people. Edoardo Dionea Cicconi’s work triggers an ongoing dialogue between the past, present and future engaging the Palace, the visitors and the surrounding reality.”
“The relationship between matter and form,” says the Executive Director of the Fondazione Federico II, Patrizia Monterosso, “is one of the great obsessions of twentieth-century art. Form, space, matter, perception constitute the core of a profound reflection on the artistic experience. In Edoardo Dionea Cicconi’s work, matter is an artistic medium, but it is also a creative device for investigating the essence of matter in dialogue with the theories of physics. This artwork also serves to stimulate the sense of wonder we should all have towards nature”.
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Edoardo Dionea Cicconi is an international contemporary artist who works with installations, sculpture, sound and other media.
By tackling universal themes, often interactively, he aims at synthesising art and science, exploring the concept and perception of ‘time’.
His latest solo exhibitions have been set in both museums/institutions and on site-specific land art projects, in the UK, USA, Mexico, and Italy. Since 2018, Cicconi has chosen Palermo as the ideal location for his studio. He works with the CADOGAN gallery in London.
The artwork:
‘150-93 VIII’ 2023
glass, steel, electric circuits, aluminium, silver-plating 137 x 137 x 490 cm
PRESS OFFICE:
Sergio Capraro 334/6784805 – sergiocapraro@gmail.com
Cristina Lombardo 347/0175268 – cristina.lombardo@federicosecondo.org
Fondazione Federico II