IL MUSEO DELLE OPERE CHE MUOIONO

Performative installation: speaker, microphone, sound, light intervention

October, 2023

Curated by IUNO for ArtVerona LAB 2023

Natural History Museum, Verona

The intervention, inspired by the practices carried out during the workshop Allineamenti – Laboratorio per una consapevolezza spazio-temporale, curated by Giulia Gaibisso and held last May in the Parco della Caffarella in Rome, is conceived as a performative installation aimed at reversing the anthropocentric gaze in relation to the museum site.

Using the theatrical effect produced by lighting in the exhibition context and reasoning on its implications in terms of visual hierarchy, Roberto Casti configures a space to stage a paradigm shift or an exchange of roles. In the room, in fact, light inverts subject and object of vision for a few moments, transforming the observer into an ‘observed’, just like the naturalistic artefacts preserved in the showcases. The human gaze, the objectivising device par excellence, is thus called into question, leading at the meantime to a reflection on the role and status of the museum. 
The acoustic element of the installation also contributes to this reversal of perspective, changing from a recording made during the workshop, in a natural context, to a live one that reproduces, altering and distorting the sounds produced in the space.

The work is completed by a text written by the artist, part of a larger series called Paper, conceived not only as a device for spatial-temporal awareness but also as a true artwork, collectable by the audience.