Categories

Art can communicate without words, Roberta Orlando

In March, the lockdown started. I left my luggage on the floor. Feelings were amplified by the tough reality in Italy. After a few weeks, the situation was getting worst, and silence was present on many occasions: at home; at the phone; on the streets; during some news. Silence was expressing all. So I wanted to express it, from my prospective. 

Mid-March. Lombardy, Italy.

From photography, I reproduced feelings of absence and uncertainty through video installation. The only sound came from the ambulances, crossing roads and street corners every 3-5 minutes sometimes. 

Once the work is finished, it will be reproduced on multiple screens and speakers. 

7 Comments
  1. Avatar photo
    Nazar Niazmetov

    It looks very sad… I hope you are fine!
    Is it possible to watch the video?

    I remembered by the way that my girlfriend who lived in Florence a semester says that the ambulances were always loud. They can drive with sirens on even in a deserted area early in the morning, around five o’clock. Maybe because the streets are so narrow, and the cars are so fast.

    I haven’t been in Italy but I got a hobby in January: virtual walks in Italian cities on YouTube. Very crowded. Very loud. I hope soon laughter will replace the monotonous wail of sirens again.
    P.S. My favotite video is from Rome – https://youtu.be/EsFheWkimsU

    1. Roberta Orlando

      Dear Nazar, Thanks very much for your comment and link.
      I’m fine, thank you. Indeed, let’s hope the situation gets better soon, everywhere.

      The video is not online yet. These weeks, I have collected different works, and I would like to develop more. The SPAR Virtual Studio is a good opportunity for sharing creative inputs and their process during this period.

      1. Avatar photo
        Nazar Niazmetov

        I am happy to read that creative and developing process is going!
        We will wait for watching it 🙂

        We read here that Italians do a lot of funny things from loggias and windows. In Russia people are not so active maybe because of our rainy weather (+5)… I hope you can enjoy sunrays!

  2. Avatar photo
    Anastasia Patsey

    Dear Roberta,
    The stills from the video (I suppose these are stills?) mediate a very strong feeling of absence, also vulnerability… How can one capture silence? It’s a very hard task. Looking at those bedsheets, their form and smallest details, I tried to find a word for those “folds” in the rumpled fabric and failed. I know that for many people, including myself, this is a kind of a stressful moment when you’re looking for a word, and it’s just not there. Also an experience emptiness — in a verbal form.
    Looking forward to seeing the video!

    Best,
    Anastasia

    1. Roberta Orlando

      Dear Anastasia, Thanks for your comment. Yes, they are stills from the video and, absolutely, silence is very hard to capture.
      I only included the sound of what I heard in the surrounding space.

      Thinking about a title, I looked for one word regarding the difficult situation. But then, I though about something lighter, simple, ironic, and also true: “You are better at making the bed than I am”.

      After all, we can always see things from different points of view.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Virtual residents