The Matter of the Islands, the new artist residency project in the Aeolian Islands

When contemporary art confronts the immense archaeological, cultural and human landscape of a territory, new and unexpected possibilities for reading and narrating heritage emerge, in a generative discourse between past and present. With this spirit, The Matter of the Islands is the new project promoted by That's Contemporary for the Archaeological Park of the Aeolian Islands - Luigi Bernabò Brea Archaeological Museum, created thanks to the contribution of the Sicilian Region - Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, which invites contemporary artists to investigate the material and immaterial Aeolian archaeological heritage, interpreting it in the light of today.
A few days after the conclusion of the artistic research residency that represents the first phase of the project, we discover La Materia delle Isole through the words of its creator and director Giulia Restifo, Museum and Park director Rosario Vilardo and participating artists Rachele Maistrello and Virginia Zanetti.

"The Matter of the Islands," says Giulia Restifo, "was born from the union of two unconditional loves: that for the Aeolian Islands and that for contemporary art. I have been visiting the Aeolian Islands since I was a child, and over the years they have been companions in my personal growth: at first with my family by sea, during my adolescence in the places of the movida, and later through a deeper exploration of their hamlets, landscapes, people and culture, rooted in literature, myth, archaeology and traditions.
For years I have dreamed of creating a bridge with what is my other passion and profession, contemporary art, which I increasingly perceive as a device capable of activating knowledge, union and exchange. The encounter between these two dimensions represents for me an other, deep and contemporary narrative of places steeped in history. It is also an opportunity for visitors and tourists to discover the Aeolian Islands through new looks and unprecedented perspectives.
This dream became a reality thanks to the meeting with Rosario Vilardo, Director of the Luigi Bernabò Brea Museum and Archaeological Park, with whom I began to reflect on how to tell the vast heritage housed in the collections and convey the spirit of the island in a new way. The work on the archaeological sites represents, in this sense, an opening of the museum's contemporary art collection, which already houses important contemporary artists in the spaces of the Ex Carceri. However, by intervening directly on archaeological sites, we are able to intercept people in different places, bringing attention to historical heritage in recreational contexts as well.
A significant example is Contrada Diana, now an area with a playground in Lipari, or the Saline di Lingua, a place of scenic beauty in Salina that preserves the remains of ancient salt pans in the seabed, although this latter aspect is little known. The artists, selected together with the committee of experts in public art and participatory practices, undertook in the first phase a residency of investigation and study to connect with the spirit of these places, exploring their histories, landscapes and cultural heritage."

At the heart of the project is the possibility for contemporary artists to have a direct experience of the archaeological heritage of the Aeolian Islands, transforming it into material for study, research and inspiration, interacting with the territory, to the point of suggesting new possibilities for its narrative, in a living dialogue between present and past.
Starting from the collection of archaeological finds and remains from prehistoric times kept by the Archaeological Park of the Aeolian Islands and the Luigi Bernabò Brea Museum-which illustrates the evolution of the different cultures present on the island since the first stable human settlements in the Neolithic period-the artistic residency traverses the matter and spirit of the place with a rich program of exploration together with museum guides and experts in culture and landscape and a meeting with the community and local institutions.
In fact, the Matter of the Islands broadens the gaze to the entire cultural, naturalistic and human richness of the Aeolian Islands and the strength of populations that, from the earliest Neolithic settlements to the export of obsidian and the former Pumice quarries, made the islands a territory of encounter and exchange.

The Aeolian Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in addition to being lands of extraordinary natural beauty, are also an archaeological treasure trove that tells the story of ancient civilizations and peoples who, over the centuries, have inhabited these volcanic lands. Places of myth, the power of volcanoes, daredevil travelers, pirates and a thousand-year history that begins in the Neolithic age and lasts until today.

The archaeological park of the Aeolian Islands is spread over the islands of Lipari, Panarea, Filicudi and Salina and includes evocative prehistoric villages, necropolis from the Greek and Roman periods, Roman baths and many other testimonies. Its headquarters is the Luigi Bernabò Brea Archaeological Museum on Lipari Castle, founded in 1954, which houses a vast collection of artifacts from various historical periods. The museum's collection represents a journey through time that leads to discovering how the islands, thanks to their particular geology, have preserved this rich archaeological record. Mistral and westerly winds, in fact, carry very fine volcanic ash that is deposited on the soils, protecting the artifacts and forming a true time capsule.

Since 2015, the museum has distinguished itself by housing a permanent collection of contemporary art. This activity has enriched the experience of local cultural heritage through the comparison of distant in time and contemporary works. Island Matter is intertwined with the Park experience in continuity with this spirit of dialogue between eras, visions and representations.

"We have embraced the La Materia delle Isole project"-says Museum Director Rosario Vilardo-"in continuity with a unique relationship of our Museum, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. In fact, already since 2015 the traditional archaeological collections - from prehistoric to classical times - have been enriched by the permanent contemporary art collection "Mare Motus. Aeolian Islands 1950/2015″, supported by the European Union and the Region of Sicily curated by Lea Mattarella and Lorenzo Zichichi, in the spaces of the former Prisons of the Castle. Comparing works from distant and contemporary eras expands the cultural experience and stimulates reflection. We believe that the new project The Matter of the Islands can continue and amplify this line, as the artists and female artists will spend time in contact with our exhibits, at archaeological sites and, most importantly, with our experts. In addition, the works will move out of the confines of the museum and into the Park, places that are open and experienced daily by communities and tourists."

The first artists invited to enter into dialogue with Aeolian tangible and intangible heritage are Rachele Maistrello and Virginia Zanetti, two artists known to the national contemporary scene. Their selection was entrusted to an advisory committee composed of Rosario Vilardo, Director of the Archaeological Park of the Aeolian Islands, Giulia Restifo, Project Creator, and professionals with extensive experience with the themes of the project: Gabi Scardi, Sabrina Drigo, Giusi Diana, Luigi Galimberti, and Jessica Tanghetti. The selection criteria favored artistic practices inclined to the exploration of the relationship between contemporary art and material and immaterial heritage, with particular attention to the creative involvement of communities.

Rachele Maistrello's practice is based on a relationship between past and present, exploring forgotten archetypes and memories hidden in the everyday through the use of photography, video, documentation and in recent times public art projects. Her work, developed through long periods of study and approach, takes the form of an encounter, highlighting a symbolic and performative dialogue between historical time and contemporary reality.

Virginia Zanetti works through relational dynamics and collective actions, capable of engaging the people with whom she comes into contact through shared codes and creating an invigorated sense of existence and renewed affective knowledge. The resulting works, the result of a participatory process, establish an authentic and profound dialogue with the environment and the communities for which they were conceived.

The investigation of Aeolian heritage, entrusted to the gaze and sensitivity of the artists, focuses mainly on two archaeological sites, the Contrada Diana area on Lipari and the Saline di Lingua on the island of Salina.
The Contrada Diana archaeological site is one of the most important in the archipelago. Remains of a settlement dating back to the Bronze Age have been found here and continue to reveal secrets about the ancient people who inhabited the islands. Excavations have unearthed living structures, pottery and numerous everyday objects that tell the story of the lives of the Aeolian Islands' earliest settlers. It is a fascinating place, where history is intertwined with everyday life today as it now houses a playground frequented by girls and boys from all over the island. "The playground above the archaeological park in the contrada Diana is vital and chaotic, swings swing carelessly among the remains of the Neolithic, Greek and Roman ages, vertiginous evolutions of who we were, living in the unconscious of the inhabitants much more than they imagine," says Rachele Maistrello, who has been entrusted with the dialogue with this site.

The Saline di Lingua salt pans on the island of Salina are a place of great historical and economic importance to the Aeolian Islands, thanks to salt production that dates back to Roman times and older settlements. Until the late 18th century, the tanks for evaporating seawater were visible, but now they are submerged by water, hidden from visitors' eyes. Today, the Saline di Lingua are a popular tourist destination, in part because of the presence of one of the Aeolian Islands' two lighthouses and the breathtaking beauty of its views. Virginia Zanetti talks about her experience of the island of Salina as follows: "We imagined the perimeter of the ruins of the Salinas made by the Romans, now submerged by the sea, which with its currents created the Salina Tongue. These lands, isolated from the sea and at the same time connected to the core of the earth, amplify the energy of the natural elements and our emotions."

The artistic research residency of La Materia delle Isole transformed the island of Lipari and the Aeolian archipelago into a creative confrontation ground where history, archaeology and landscape were intertwined with looks and insights peculiar to contemporary art for the days of the artists' stay. Starting with an introductory tour of the islands led by project director Giulia Restifo, the group visited the Luigi Bernabò Brea Archaeological Museum to learn more about the prehistoric period, guided by archaeologist Luana La Fauci. A meeting with Museum Director Rosario Vilardo and Maria Clara Martinelli, an expert on Aeolian archaeology, provided an in-depth look at the local heritage. Next stops in the exploration were the Diana Park and the island of Salina. Here, the artists had the opportunity to meet the mayor of Salina and other institutional figures, in a moment of dialogue dedicated to the cultural and naturalistic value of the area. Also valuable and revealing were the exchanges with Nino Saltalamacchia and Mario Marturano, respectively president and historical photographer of the Centro Studi Eoliano, guardian of the archipelago's traditions. After taking time for reflection, a free exploration of other iconic places on the island of Lipari such as the kaolin and pumice quarries, the residency program included a meeting open to the local community at the Museum, an opportunity to share impressions and initiate a direct dialogue with the inhabitants, reinforcing the potential for a dialogue between art and territory.

Now at its conclusion, the residency experience settles and matures in the reflection of the artists who have been invited to elaborate, with individual study time, thoughts, sketches and visions, regarding a possible future artistic intervention to be placed in the Archaeological Areas of Contrada Diana in Lipari and Saline di Lingua on the island of Salina. Says Giulia Restifo, "The artists will have a posing time to return their idea of a possible intervention and give new life to the heritage, integrated and sustainable for the context. The dialogue between art, territory and community will be at the heart of this process, with the aim of participating in the creation of new spaces for collective reflection and stimulating greater tourist and cultural interest."

The Matter of the Islands is thus projected toward the development of a concrete dialogue between the Aeolian cultural and natural heritage and contemporary artworks, passing through the creation of a deep connection between artists, the local community and the landscape and transforming the heritage into a source of contemporary inspiration. The Aeolian Islands thus become the scene of a new artistic narrative between past, present and future.