In the context of the Out of the box. Arte - impresa – territorio Project a show entitled “Stille” by Ornaghi & Prestinari curated by Ilaria Mariotti will be inaugurated Saturday, November 18 at Villa Pacchiani in Santa Croce sull’Arno. The show represents the fruit of the relationship established between the artists and Consorzio Depuratore in Santa Croce sull’Arno under the auspices of a project of wider scope begun in 2013 with strong support from the municipal authority of Santa Croce sull’Arno, GALLERIA CONTINUA, and the Arte Continua Association, all of which have always stressed the importance of relationships between art and territory and advocated the need for artists to be brought into greater involvement in reconsidering social questions. This is the fourth time the project has been awarded and funded by the regional Toscanaincontemporanea call for projects.
For this edition of the project, Ornaghi & Prestinari were invited to enter into dialogue with Consorzio Depuratore as both key element and metaphor for a reading of the entire territory’s characteristics and dynamics.
“A highly particular productive model consisting of small to very small companies operating in the tanning sector working side by side and benefitting from one’s proximity to the other has always been present in this area,” affirms Giulia Deidda, Mayor Santa Croce sull’Arno. “This is the only Italian fashion district that has specialized the entire productive chain, from the tanning of the hides to the final touches on the finished product by qualified sub-contractors aided by the network of other companies more or less directly involved in tanning, the producers of chemicals, machinery, accessories, that has grown up in the area over the years”. As the Mayor continues, “the sector invests around 4% of its revenues in further reducing environmental impact every year, and thanks to the public and private investments made in recent decades, nearly 100% of the waste waters can be declared completely purified and all the more solid waste (sludge, chromium, etc.) are recycled. The result of these investments is the district’s circular treatment system, consisting of Consorzio Depuratore, Aquarno, Consorzio Recupero Cromo, and Ecoespanso now under single management whose processes are continuously enhanced by research and the more and more specialized training of human resources guaranteed by the PO.TE.CO Tanning Technological Park”.
Asmatico, 2016
aluminium cast, stainless steel, bulb, machine, 85 x 120 x 80 cm
Courtesy: the artis and GALLERIA CONTINUA, San Gimignano / Beijing / Les Moulins / Habana