Project whitoutland

The "site specific" installation SENZA TERRA / WITHOUT LAND is a plastic idea of Beuys' social sculpture, close to his Tram Stop created for the Art Biennale di Venezia in 1976 but with regard to the epic migration of these years. Thousands of humans are moving from one nation to another through increasingly tight borders and with a little chance to stop because they are rejected by every country. The main idea of the installation SENZA TERRA / WITHOUT LAND is to give a place and support to all those who are without a land, without a coun-try, without a nation. Moreover, there is no need for a nation because we are one people with one culture: we belong to the people of hu-mans. The installation consists of a bench for resting, together with an air-balloon in the shape of the world map. The air-balloon shows, night and day, a place that gives the opportunity to take a break without the obligation to present any documents and without control by any authority. Indeed, the fact that this installation is on the island of San Servolo, a for-mer mental hospital of the city of Venice, accentuates the "folly" of the gesture of a no man's land. An open fence that was for the lasts is now the "free paradise" of human solidarity. The project is self-managed and has found economic and cultural solidarity from about seventy people, including artists, architects, clerks, musicians, workers, associations, small museums and some shrewd spon-sors. They all are convinced that testimony is a condition that the story cannot ignore. This is why their names are engraved on the stone of the bench, as a monument / altar to all passers. The complete installation with the bench and the air-balloon will be open to all visitors of Fondazione San Servolo from May 27 (official opening ceremony 6pm) to June 30. After the closing date, the bench will remain in the same place together with a banner in memory of the event that took place.

The curator Boris Brollo