The exhibition, curated by Carlo Alberto Arzelà, ideated by the municipality of Volterra with the patronage of the Tuscany region, and is made by the cultural association Cantiere Nuovo in collaboration with the Collettivo Distillerie. Inspired by the field of astronomy, the aim of the project is to “reactivate” an emotion, to the meaning of constellations redrawing them in Earth, making them recognizable again to the eye and the human spirit, and bringing the visitor back in time to the first moments, to the “birth” of the universe.
Two artists for different languages and materials used (wood and paper for Serasini, alabaster for Marzetti) interpenetrate in a journey that, starting from the Big Bang, takes the visitor to reflect, as well as on the development of the universe, even on human condition. Between art and craft, the alabaster sculptures of Marzetti evoke arcane and primordial symbols, essential signs present in each culture whether it be Western or Eastern. Suspended between empty and full, his sculptures greet the viewer into an enchanted and silent atmosphere interfacing with large sculptures and drawings and reliefs of Serasini as between parallel worlds, among them away, but in temporal communication.
Serasini takes up the walls and the central parts of the two halls of the exhibition space with three large installations which demonstrate that many stages of life in the universe: the artist thus brings into an interior of medieval origin the language of Land Art combined with the figurative synthesis of constellations in simple elements such as discs and lines.
In the first installation (Kháos) lines and discs that represent the constellations are grouped in a confused way to represent the beginning of creation, the Big Bang, but they find an order in the second installation, in which items seem “ready to use “(Order). Finally “Dispose” is the conclusion of the cycle, a large interactive installation that takes up an entire room, where Serasini distributes the lines and disks to make up the Big Dipper asterism (within the constellation Ursa Major) while Marzetti compose its elements in a big star in Alabaster.
The interaction of the installation is ensured by visitors who, walking over the stars, they will discover, through some recorded voices, 7 short stories told by Saptarishi, the seven sages that were present at time of Creation and representing each, in Indian mythology, the stars of the Big Dipper.
The stories, taken from verses in the RgVeda (hymns of knowledge) and the Satapatha Brahmana (Brahmana of one hundred parts) two of the most important texts composed in Vedic Sanskrit, narrate the birth of the universe and its order, as well as countless formulas needed to Vedic priests to perform correctly the sacrifices to the gods.
The myth is a recurring theme in the work of Serasini. In past installations he always went in search of the origins of the constellations by concerning the ancient legends of the peoples of the Mediterranean basin. With this exhibition he begins to discover the fascinating world of ancient India.