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Titled "La Festa dei Nojesi," (The Feast of The ‘Nojesi ‘– the local people) this project is a monumental photomontage installation that delves into the multi-layered cultural fabric of Noepoli, Italy. Commissioned by Artepollino—an association established in 2008 to foster the cultural growth of this rural area, collaborating with artists including Anish Kapoor, Carsten Höller, and Giuseppe Penone—this work is the outcome of an immersive one-month residency, during which we engaged deeply with the locale’s rich history, gastronomy, and community rituals.

 

Our practice thrives on community-based, co-creation methodologies, making Noepoli not just the subject but also the collaborator in the creative process. We anchored our approach in participant observation and intimate dialogues with the local populace—from winemakers to oregano farmers, from homemakers to artisans. Complementing our social exploration were visits to museums and historical sites, specifically capturing artifacts and visual memories from the Enotri civilization. This research culminated in a six-by-three-meter digital photomontage printed on aluminum, a vivid layering of over 900 images—reminiscent of Enotri burial sites where items from pottery to food were layered as vignettes of life.

 

The thematic veins of our work extend from antiquity to contemporary culture. Grapes scattered throughout the montage symbolize the ancient Enotri vineyards, while images of the Madonna di Costantinopoli procession stand as metaphors for ongoing community rituals. Importantly, the work avoids a prescriptive narrative, inviting viewers to find their own meaning within the tableau. It serves as an open-ended archive that engages the audience in a constant dialogue between the past, present, and the evolving future.

 

“La Festa dei Nojesi” is, at its core, a celebration of Noepoli's diversity, its history, and its present. Just as Noepoli rests on a mountain amid clouds, each fragment of our montage emerges like a narrative layer from the nebulous memory of the community. It is a tribute to the soul of Noepoli, an homage to its people’s pride in their rich heritage, and a testament to the universal human yearning for connection to place and community.

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Partners: The initiative is part of the arte@parte project, curated by ArtePollino, financed by the Basilicata Region

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