Shōzō Shimamoto, Performance with cups. Un'arma per la Pace, Piazza Dante, Naples, 2006

On May 27, 2006, the historic Piazza Dante in Naples was the setting and stage for an unprecedented event: Shōzō Shimamoto, one of the most important exponents of the Gutai Group - Japanese Art Movement founded in 1954 in the Kansai region, hanging from a crane and suspended from a 'height of 30 meters, accompanied on the piano by Charlemagne Palestine, launched spheres made with glasses full of color on a 10-meter canvas positioned in the center of the square. The result was a "living" installation that involved the public, leading to reflect on the unusual use of painting. Furthermore, the title "A weapon for peace" has put the educational and ethical as well as the artistic function of the initiative in the foreground.