Back from country life, I am deep in preparations for my next artistic project -and big adventure- “NewWorlds: a Migratory art project”, a creative-cultural-naturalistic-research undertaking across North America’s West.
I will travel with my cello to the USA and then to Mexico and Canada, to work on my music and arts, share them on the way, and be impressed and inspired by the most diverse ecosystems, communities, landscapes, meetings and cultures.
The first part of the journey will bring me to the Sitka Centre for Art and Ecology, an heavenly place for artists whose work is interconnected with nature and science, where I will be hosted as an artist in residence from end of January till mid-april.
The Sitka Centre is located in Oregon, USA, in the beautiful natural reserve of cascade head. Temperate rainforest, Pacific Ocean, sharing the small campus with other artists.. it already feels like home in my heart.
After the Oregon Chapter, I will probably move up to BC, Canada and catch a flight down to Mexico, where I will spend another month in the Veracruz Region, hosted by a friend and Luthier in his city, Xalapa, and probably visiting other regions as well..I aspect many meetings with a passionate, vibrant musical tradition from which I can’t wait to be surrounded. And Mexico is one of the “mega diverse “ World Countries, meaning it contains a high percentage of Earth’s biodiversity in its natural habitats…
Then, -as funds will go, see more about this below- I hope it will be Canada’s Time, and that I’ll be able to come back to British Columbia to visit a community I met in 2018, and possibly explore the northern Haida Gways islands, where I know the Great Bear Rainforest and an incredible density of different First Nations People are gathered, whose stories and customs I have been missing since I left them one and a half years ago…
All the way, my cello, my voice, and colors and pens and this very blog will accompany me, and transform every part of this journey in new art, and new chances to offer it to still unknown fellows humans-and-not. I aspect my work to focus on my nature work, traditional music reinterpretation, and on the compassion workshops… But as traveling taught me, I know I will need to be flexible and open to much more that could come to me on the way.
The project will be partially sustained by the Friends Of The Menuhin Foundation, with a 3000€ scholarship. I am deeply grateful for such generous help, for which I thank both the Friends and the Foundation whole. It is amazing to feel such a warm support.
On my part, I have been working all autumn, putting aside, and decided also to invest some personal funds in the project.
Unfortunately, there is still around €3000 missing from the whole budget…
So I decided put myself up to a new challenge, and to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the missing amount.
The campaign will be closely connected with this blog: here you will find news and infos as it develops. It will be my travel diary and my sharing space!
The adventure starts on January 22nd in Rome, where I will catch my first flight to New York. The next day, I will again fly to Portland, and then by bus reach the small town f Otis where someone from the centre will come and pick me up. It will be a regular 2-days-travel, with an awful lot of jet leg in it.
I am now preparing my body and my mind for it, while my soul.. It is to be true already on the road, crossing oceans and lands in an heron’s wings, and calling up for me to join her soon in the New Worlds.
This is probably the biggest thing that has happened to my artistic life so far. It feels so important, it almost scares me… Over the years I learnt that as an artist I am bound to community, circular sharing, communication and I want to count on these magic gifts both for supporting my dream -and to make it actually work, when I’ll hit the road.
Talking about dreams is in my opinion a good way to start the year…
What are your wishes for yourself in this 2020?
What feels true when you wish it to yourself, out loud, speaking freely in an intimate space, there where you can hear the words resonate inside? They vibrate in a very special way, when they are true…
Happy new year from my heart – Buon anno!! May it bring you that something that feels truly yours.
The pictures in the post are from previous artistic residencies I took part in (Belgium, Chateau de Ry; Italy, Centro Celacanto)
and from my 2018 trip to British Columbia, Canada.
The watercolor is from me (2017).
Enjoy!