As part of the training activities aimed at young creatives under 25, from 2021 Fabrica has introduced a new Education model structured in two six-monthly sessions curated by an international Program Director selected within the Alumni network who, after their residency at Fabrica, have distinguished themselves for having achieved important results in the creative field.
The new cycle saw the involvement of Joao Wilbert, a Brazilian interaction designer with a long experience at MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Google Creative Lab, while for March / July 2022 Carlos Casas, a Spanish visual artist and filmmaker, was chosen.
The theme of the program curated by Casas will be “Extinction?” and will address a broader debate on the environment, ecology and the relationships between humans, non-humans and nature.
It will consist of a series of workshops, conferences and screenings that will involve mentors and international experts who will accompany young creatives in a research path aimed at the realization of a project at the end of their residency period. Some of the events will be open to the public.
The program opens on March 17 at 4pm CET with an online lecture by Timothy Morton, a well-known English philosopher and writer, author of over 270 articles and essays on philosophy, ecology, literature, music, art, architecture and design. Morton’s work explores the intersection between object-oriented thinking and ecological studies. Among Morton’s numerous publications, translated into 13 languages, “Ecology without Nature” (Harvard University Press, 2006), “The Ecological Thought” (Harvard University Press, 2010) “Dark Ecology” (Columbia University Press, 2016), “Iperoggetti” (Produzioni Nero, 2018), the cornerstone of Morton’s philosophical thought. Timothy Morton is also Professor in English literature at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
The program continues with a series of workshops entitled “Extended perception” that investigate the sensory relationship between man and the environment. Among the personalities involved: Philippe Rahm, a Swiss architect with a keen eye on the impact that climate change and meteorology have on our cities; Sissel Tolaas, Norwegian artist and researcher known for her work on smells; John Gerrard, Irish sculptor famous for his virtual works that take the form of real-time simulations and Sean Raspet, American artist known for his projects related to the compositions of flavors and fragrances.
The calendar is enriched by some online and in-person lectures with international curators and writers including Andrea Lissoni (Haus der Kunst in Munich), Filipa Ramos (Art Basel Film) and Ute Meta Bauer (NTU CCA Center for Contemporary Art in Singapore), with musicians such as Neil Leonard (Berklee College of Music) and artists or collectives, such as Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Studio d-o-t-s, Design Earth and Studio Ossidiana.
Carlos Casas began his artistic career at Fabrica in 1998. From 2005 to 2008 he dealt with musical research and audiovisual projects in various parts of the world, culminating in “END”, three documentaries produced by Fabrica dedicated to the most extreme environments on the planet: Patagonia, Aral Sea and Siberia.
His works have been hosted by art institutions and galleries such as the Tate Modern in London, the Cartier Foundation, the Palais de Tokyo and the Center Pompidou in Paris and La Triennale in Milan. His recent sound installation “Mahalla: Urban Rural Living” was exhibited at the 2021 Architecture Biennale in Venice.
His films have been presented and awarded at the most important international festivals, including the Venice Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, CPH: DOX in Copenhagen, the Buenos Aires International Film Festival and FID Marseille.
For the semester March-July 2022, 17 young creatives from 12 countries were selected: Camille Simon Baudry (France), Chae Biole Park (South Korea), Giorgia Burzio (Italy), Tom Davis (Ireland), Charlot Dennis (UK), Mohammed El Hajoui (Morocco), Olivia Funes Lastra (Argentina), Igor Furtado (Brazil), Tom Heath (UK), Nazira Karimi (Kazakhstan), Evelin Mazzaro (Italy), Viviane Morais Dantas (Brazil), Faith Shields (South Africa), Ziaire Sherman (USA), Daniele Pietro Spini (Italy), Bobbi Traynor (Ireland), Avani Vidhani (India).