Studio Azzurro In Principio (e poi) at the Vatican Museum

Studio Azzurro chose FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti’s MaxFine slabs for their project In Principio (e poi) (“In the Beginning [and after]”: an interactive video installation made by the famous artists’ collective in 2013 for the first Holy See Pavilion at the 55th International Art Exhibition - Biennale di Venezia.
On September 28 the video installation became a part of the permanent collection of the Vatican Museum, and is visible in a space designed by architect Roberto Pulitani in a Renaissance hall in the museum’s contemporary section which has been renamed The Studio Azzurro Room.
The work consists of four plates representing the creation, the product of lengthy reflection and reworking of numerous iconographic sources. It is projected on 4 of FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti’s MaxFine slabs, the Dark Depth colour in the 320x160 cm size. The first plate is horizontal, on the floor of the room, representing “in the beginning”, the light separated from the darkness and the formation of the first elements. On the side walls, two plates without words represent “.. and after”, using sign language to evoke the sounds of plant elements (the environment) and animals. Lastly, on the front wall is the last plate “... and after”, without time or space (people); as in the previous plates, it is the visitor’s touch that initiates interaction with the figures, bringing the plate to life.
Cutting-edge technologies allow visitors to interact with the images, subverting the classic rules for appreciation of a work of art. “Do not touch” is no longer the rule here, where visitors are invited to dare, to bring the work of art to life with a touch of the hand, in a gesture evoking Michelangelo’s famous frescoes in the nearby Sistine Chapel.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Illustration: preparatory sketch, overview of the work – Interactive video installation, 530 x 1110 x 1110 cm Courtesy © Studio Azzurro

The pictures show the installation as it was set up for the 55th International Art Exhibition, Il Palazzo Enciclopedico, la Biennale di Venezia
Photo by Italo Rondinella - Courtesy by la Biennale di Venezia

http://www.museivaticani.va/
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