Centogrammi | Paolo Scoppola | Paolo Scoppola

Roma Maxxi 02.01.2018 (5th National Day of Food Waste Prevention)
Artegna, Festival Contaminazioni Digitali 6-7.07.2018
Roma F.A.0. 05.01.2019 (6th National Day of Food Waste Prevention)

One hundred grams is the amount of food that an Italian wastes, on average, every day and is also one of the main results of REDUCE, the first census of food waste in Italy. The project, promoted by the Ministry of the Environment and carried out by the Universities of Milan, Bologna, Viterbo and Udine, contains a section dedicated to raising public awareness through the language of art. The interactive video installation is the result of a reflection on the concept of balance, as a key to interpreting the contemporary world. Having nourishment in the “right” quantity becomes a value to be contrasted with the ancestral desire for abundance, which in consumer society is inexorably translated into waste. The screen reproduces a series of filaments that symbolize various natural environments. As soon as a spectator approaches it, a complex game of geometric and sound interactions between the filaments and their shape begins, thanks to the software and music created by the artist. The search for the right balance will guide the audience in preserving the beauty of the environment without turning the filaments into waste.

A large screen reproduces hundreds of colourful streams that represent the nourishment that the Earth produces every day. The color changes over time and is associated with different natural elements from which we draw nourishment every day: the yellow of wheat, the green of a vegetable garden, the blue of the sea. In the absence of people, the screen reproduces the sound of nature associated with the nutritive element: the wind, birds and insects, the waves.

Approaching the screen one’s own silhouette appears, while the sound of nature leaves room for a music that represents the harmony of the man who is confronted with that of the environment.

Moving along the screen you interact with the natural environment without leaving a persistent trace. Staying still, instead, little by little we begin to attract the flows within our body. We are collecting food, but the surrounding environment remains harmonious.

After some time, the silhouettes begin to generate grey streams that tend to cover the entire scene with a dark interweaving of shapes. The music is covered by the annoying noise of plastic garbage bags.

We’ve accumulated excess food and we’re producing waste. We must move away from the screen and let the Earth return to its balance.

The attention not to waste is reflected in the value of “circularity”: buying the right amount of food and leaving the unnecessary product on the shelf means allowing the same food to be consumed by others. Vice versa, buying a product and then wasting it means putting waste into circulation. Thus, every element of the installation appears and disappears in an eternal virtuous or “vicious” circle. The last theme of the installation is that of “sharing”: because the problems of waste can best be overcome if discussed in groups. In fact, the work was created to be enjoyed by groups of 7-8 people per screen in order to live the experience of sharing emotions.

Credits

Concept, code development, music: Paolo Scoppola

Project Coordination

Prof. Luca Falasconi, Università di Bologna
Prof. Silvio Franco, Università della Tuscia

STAMPA

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Progetto Reduce

Paolo Scoppola

Eventi

Credits

Project Coordination

STAMPA

LINKS