Creativity versus earthquake/Kreativität versus Erdbeben/Creativitá contro terremoto

[I know, I should be writing about Bob, who is coming to Salzburg…unfortunately, it is quite difficult to enjoy the waiting after the earthquake in my Modena. I only promise I will be there in the Salzburg Arena and enjoy the concert!

Ich weiß: Ich sollte eigentlich gerade über Bob schreiben, der nach Salzburg kommt…leider finde ich sehr schwierig, die Wartezeit nach dem Erdbeben in meiner Modena zu genießen. Ich verspreche nur, dass ich dort in der Salzburg Arena sein werde und das Konzert genießen werde!

Lo so che dovrei scrivere di Bob in realtà, che viene a Salisburgo….purtroppo mi risulta piuttosto difficile godermi l’attesa dopo il terremoto nella mia Modena. Prometto solo che sarò là nella Salzburg Arena  e mi gusterò il concerto!]

I would like to introduce  two young artists and their solidarity projects to you ! Ich möchte zwei junge Künstler und ihre Solidaritätsprojekte euch vorstellen! Vorrei presentarvi due giovani artisti ed i loro progetti di solidarietá.

http://alexfioratti.blogspot.co.at ALEX FIORATTI

www.dinamorivoluzione.com   SIMONE POLETTI

You can break up our land but not out courage – Du kannst unser Land brechen, unseren Mut aber nicht.

Alex Fioratti is an artist from Mantua who worked for several years in Ferrara. Right after the severely damaged Province of Modena, which lists as number one among the most affected territories, Mantua and Ferrara are the “second” most hit by the May earthquake provinces.

Alex Fioratti ist ein Künstler aus Mantua, der für einige Jahre in Ferrara gearbeitet hat. Gleich nach der stark beschädigt Provinz Modena, welche an der Stelle eins der am meistens erschütterten Gebiete steht,  sind Mantua und Ferrara die “zweiten” von dem Mai-Erdbeben am schlimmsten getroffenen Provinzen.

Alex Fioratti è un artista di Mantova, che ha lavorato per alcuni anni a Ferrara. Queste province – immediatamente dopo la gravemente danneggiata Provincia di Modena, che figura al primo posto fra i territori maggiormente danneggiati – sono fra le più colpite dal terremoto di maggio.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alex-Fioratti-Artista/207458585951873

http://alexfioratti.blogspot.co.at/

He developed and donated what I believe it is among the most beautiful image about the tragedy. Now there is a t-shirt you can buy. It has been named “The courage of Emilian people” and is the medium for a fundraising action from which several volunteer associations will benefit. (Official press release by the Modenese voluntary and humanitarian services association  here in Italian  and here in English)

Er hat dasjenige kreiert und spendiert, was ich unter den schönsten Bilder über die Tragödie halte. Jetzt gibt es ein T-Shirt, welches ihr kaufen könnt. Es wurde “Der Mut der Emilianer” genannt und ist der Mittel für eine Spendenaktion, aus welcher verschiedene Freiwilligenvereine unterstützt werden. (Offizielle Pressemitteilung aus dem Modenesischen Verein der freiwilligen und humanitären Dienste hier auf Italienisch und hier auf Englisch).

Ha ideato e donato quella che credo sia una delle immagini piú belle fra quelle legate alla tragedia. Adesso é disponibile una t-shirt che potete comperare: si chiama “Il coraggio degli emiliani” ed è il mezzo con cui ha lanciato una raccolta fondi il cui ricavato andrà alle associazioni di volontariato di Modena. (Comunicato stampa dell’associazione servizi per il volontariato Modena qui)

La t-shirt “IL CORAGGIO DEGLI EMILIANI” maglietta, veicolo per una raccolta fondi destinata alle oltre 150 associazioni di volontariato, di Protezione civile, di promozione sociale e altri soggetti del terzo settore operativi sui territori devastati dal terremoto e per sostenere progetti da loro promossi relativi, in particolare, alla ricostruzione di un senso di comunità e aggregazione che il terremoto ha provato a mettere in crisi.

http://www.facebook.com/IlCoraggioDegliEmiliani

http://www.slamjam.com/2012/07/04/you-can-break-our-land-but-not-our-courage%E2%80%9D/

Here is the baby! Hier ist das Baby! Ecco la piccola!

If you want to buy it (man or woman tee disposable), click “coraggio” on the Page “Il Coraggio Degli Emiliani” or click here.

Wenn ihr es kaufen wollt (Modelle für Männer und Frauen abkömmlich), klickt “coraggio” auf der Seite “Il Coraggio Degli Emiliani” oder klickt hier.

Se volete comprarla (modelli sia da uomo sia da donna), cliccate “coraggio” sulla pagina “Il Coraggio Degli Emiliani” o cliccate qua.

My other favourite image is this one by artist Simone Poletti from Reggio Emilia.  He donated this creation to the project “IO NON TREMO”. You can buy the poster as well, just follow the links!

Mein anderes Lieblingsbild ist dieses von dem Künstler Simone Poletti aus Reggio Emilia. Er hat seine Kreation dem Projekt “IO NON TREMO” gespendet. Ihr könnt das Plakat ebenfalls kaufen, einfach Links folgen!

L´altra mia immagine preferita é questa dell´artista Simone Poletti di Reggio Emilia. Ha donato la sua creazione al progetto “IO NON TREMO“. Potete comperare anche il poster, seguite semplicemente i link!

I don´t quake/Ich bebe nicht

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dinamo-Innesco-Rivoluzione/192417129362

http://www.dinamorivoluzione.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/IO-NON-TREMO/465153306844173

http://www.facebook.com/pages/IO-NON-TREMO/465153306844173#!/pages/IO-NON-TREMO/465153306844173?sk=app_135607783795

http://www.facebook.com/groups/383149371732020/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151053551104363&set=a.274585929362.177799.192417129362&type=3&theater

CREATIVITY – KREATIVITÄT – CREATIVITÁ 2

Earthquake – Erdbeben – terremoto 0

Retroactive history, political interest or just ignorance?

This is fun…

As some of you may know, 2011 will be the 150. anniversary of Italy as a nation (though in an incomplete form, since the so-called Unità has been reached, revised and – well – contested during the 20th century…and although history and identity of Italy are still quite discussed or contested).

As part of celebrations, an exhibition has been organised. Title:

La bella Italia. Arte e identità delle città capitali

(beautiful Italy. Art and identity of capital cities)

http://www.italia150.it/ita/Esperienza-Italia/La-Venaria-Reale.-La-Reggia-d-Italia/La-bella-Italia

There is a little problem. The exhibition should feature art from – I quote –  pre-unification “capital cities”...

Now, anybody who knows Italian history will soon recognize that…Bologna and Palermo WERE NOT capital cities, and have never been capital cities in the immediate pre-unification European asset, just to make it clear. On the contrary,  TRUE AND IMPORTANT CAPITAL CITIES LIKE MODENA AND PARMA (see Duchy of Modena e Reggio, Duchy of Parma) have been completely ignored. Any history student would be granted a “fail” in his/her exam for listing Bologna and Palermo as pre-Italian unification capital cities, these people are granted a lot of (public) money (in heavily indebted Italy) for doing this job BAD…

A mistake in the rationale, a shame and a stupid choice, since Modena and Parma are beautiful cities with wonderful and important cathedrals and well-established art museums and no exibition should be ashamed to feature them.

Politicians already tried to underline the mistake:

http://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/dalgiornale/2010/01/01/news/mostra-sulle-capitali-modena-snobbata-2867187

http://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/cronaca/2011/01/04/news/giovanardi-parma-e-modena-unite-per-rimediare-all-esclusione-3095374

Please note that I had to agree with Giovanardi. This hurts! Never had I thought such a thing would happen… 😀

Now, as a historian I should try to understand:

1. Did they fall victim of a sort-of-a-lapsus, writing “pre-unification capital cities” but thinking “today’s capital cities of Regioni(administrative unit similar to German or Austrian Land)” Or trying to create an innovative and provocative theory, making history from 1970 onwards retroactive? mm…
2. Are they trying to perpetuate certain mythologies related to the history of unification and to the further political developments (Italy is a good thing, Austrians and Germans are the bad; the asset of nowadays – where a few cities catalyse any possible investment in public money – is the only one possible and so on? )
3. Are they simply ignorant?

Who knows…

I believe Modena should start a serious reflection about her history, her historians…and definitely do not cooperate if asked for art pieces from her museums for these celebration. Reflect, rethink, boycott.

And, quoting the South Tyrolean slogan:  Los von Bologna! (away from Bologna!). We are only destroying our past and our future! We should re-integrate the old Emilia Longobarda and strengthen our ties to Central Europe (and no, not Eastern-Central Europe and not in the way Marchionne would wish…)

Updates

http://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/cronaca/2010/12/02/news/modena-esclusa-intervenga-napolitano-2879888
“organizzatori per capitali intendono quelle che hanno avuto un ruolo rilevante” ( “capital cities” are intended by the organisers as cities which played an important role).
What does this mean?
1) capital city has a definite meaning. Say “main city”, “main centre” – more appropriate – and, in any case, define in the rationale how you will use the definition. Rule No. 1 in every scientific work
2) Arguing that Modena and Parma ( even Reggio Emilia) did not play any important role before unification seems hard to every historian…

“Bologna as representative of whole Emilia”…and here once again the ignorance of almost an entire nation, ignoring that Bologna was not Emilia and this idea of Emilia has been invented. This will be finally shown in my Ph.D. Thesis. And…if art historians want to forge a new definition and a new theory, making an “Emilian art” exist” and creating a definition for a representative of this art…well, they should once again re-write their rationale, exposing their theory and using their own scientific language, not “ours”. “Capitali pre-unitarie” has a definite meaning if used without specification (“dell’arte” = “of art”). Even in this meaning, many people would not agree with the Piemontese choice…

http://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/dalgiornale/2011/01/06/news/modena-torna-capitale-ma-a-meta-3111004

http://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/dalgiornale/2011/01/07/news/pighi-modena-esclusa-arroganza-sabauda-il-museo-lo-riapro-3118737

Another one, from the Corriere della Sera:

http://www.corriere.it/unita-italia-150/11_gennaio_07/parma-modena_f49ab0ae-1a47-11e0-91c1-00144f02aabc.shtml

«Forse c’è stato un equivoco — afferma il direttore della Reggia di Venaria, Alberto Vanelli —: questa non è una mostra storica sulle capitali d’Italia, ma una rassegna che punta a dimostrare come l’arte delle varie città, ben prima dell’unità d’Italia, avesse avuto un ruolo universale e unificante.

Then you should, again, read my comments about the way you developed your rationale, or abstract, or exposè, or razionale scientifico, as you prefer. Using the expression “Capitali pre-unitarie”  as shown on the site implies a certain meaning. I will not repeat what I exposed above.

“Creative history” as new level of public use of history?

Once upon a time there was Tyrol. Then Savoia Italy took away a strategic piece of land from it and made “Alto Adige” out of it. Many claim “it’s Italy, they are trentini, they must speak Italian”.

The same happened (beginning actually some years before…) some miles southwards on the Brennerstraße. Former capitals were subordinated to Bologna, the idea of Emilia Longobarda was gradually destroyed until the wonderful creation of Emilia-Romagna and of an Emilian Bologna. Guelph Bologna always fought Ghibelline Modena but only dominated Romagna and belonged later to the Papal State.

Political implications for these ideologies are quite clear. (see above).

I am waiting for my book about Austria to be published and for my Ph.D. thesis to be completed to have the possibility to bring new issues in the cultural and political debate around these themes, using ideas and evidences!