Atto Unico - Campane - Le Città del Futuro

Associazione Arte Continua is pleased to support the second installment of the Landandart project, created by the Associazione Culturale VIA to promote the Monregalese area through the languages of contemporary art. This edition features the participation of artist Giovanni Ozzola, with his installation Atto unico – campane, which will be inaugurated on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at the Bosco della Nova in Mondovì (Cuneo).

The work, composed of five ceramic bells, interacts with the surrounding natural environment and enriches the green path that crosses the hillside. This initiative is part of a broader territorial redevelopment project and reflects our mission to support artistic practices that foster dialogue between art, the land, and the community. Giovanni Ozzola chooses to work with clay, a primordial material that comes from the earth and, precisely because of its origin and fragility, carries a concept of cyclicality and rebirth, connecting with the rhythms of nature and thus with the human being. The process that transforms clay into a bell is also significant: each piece is unique and becomes so through the use of another primordial element—fire. Each bell bears witness to an individual presence through its sound and, by joining the chimes of the others, creates a whole, inviting reflection on concepts such as existence, origin, and destiny.

By collaborating with VIA, Associazione Arte Continua contributes to building a bridge between international artists and local communities, offering new cultural perspectives and promoting the encounter between art and public participation. Landandart is an opportunity to raise awareness of natural and cultural heritage through powerful artistic experiences.

“We decided to support this initiative in response to the call for help that came from VIA, a non-profit association like ours, through Giulia Carbone and Geremia Siboni, because we found a shared vision and determination to carry out long-term projects in a place where an important part of their lives has taken place—and will continue to take place—and where they want to transform their passion for art into something that goes beyond their own personal values and interests. For this reason, starting next year, we have asked two important curators and friends, Stijn Huijts and Nicolas Ballario, to get involved, as we believe they can contribute to this journey of growth. We believe it is essential to support, wherever they may be, people who are willing and motivated to undertake long-term actions to improve public space—taking into account where lived space exists and rethinking, in particular, the relationship between cities, towns, and rural areas. We are convinced this can happen through the works and perspectives of artists, just as it did in the past during the construction of cities—especially in Italy and Europe—where artists gave meaning and form to space. For this reason, alongside the involvement of curators from the international art community, we are starting this path of collaboration with these new friends. Not open-air museums, but true places where it is possible to experience a direct dialogue with site-specific works, born from the meeting and exchange between these seemingly distant worlds.”

Mario Cristiani, president of Associazione Arte Continua

“Atto Unico means something that happens in unison—a moment in which everything—people, thoughts, actions—comes together in the same instant. My work on this piece was not mine alone, but the result of a collective effort, of all the actors who contributed to the project. It’s as if each of us put our thoughts and our sweat in the same direction, and that’s what gave life to the work.”

The bells I created carry a strong symbolism. The first three bells, fired and made of clay, I see as a kind of secular trinity. Not in a religious sense, but rather as a symbol of the need to explore the horizon within ourselves. The other two large bells are made of lime and sand, unfired: the elements—wind, water, and sun—will transform them, returning them to the earth.

This exploration does not end with ourselves but finds its purpose in the encounter with others. I believe that only through a constant effort to know ourselves can we meet others without fear of difference. If we know who we are and recognize ourselves, we are not afraid of those who are different from us. And it is there that exchange and evolution begin. Humanity has always evolved through mixing, growing in awareness.

The first bell, at the center, is raw, without external decorations, but inside it are golden stars on a black background. This is a tribute to the history of art, but also a reflection on how each of us is a universe unto ourselves. We are all a star among the stars. My idea is that each of us must be our own light in the darkness, but only when we are together can we form a constellation and understand where we are and where we are going.

The second bell features a geometric symbol—a semicircle—that fascinates me deeply. This symbol connects individuality and community on the same horizon. It is a thought that unites humanity and our individuality, as if to say that we can be ourselves and, at the same time, part of something greater.

The third bell bears the words “IO” and “TU”, and to me this represents the idea that, in sound, in the tension of opposites, I and you ring together—we become a “we”. It’s a fusion. For me, the search for individual identity is fundamental, because it is precisely that which strengthens us in the encounter with others. It’s not about collective identity, which often tends to marginalize those who are different. On the contrary, truly knowing ourselves allows us to welcome others without fear, and from there a genuine exchange is born, a shared growth.”

Giovanni Ozzola, artist

Credits
John Ozzola
Single Act - Bells
Bosco della Nova, Mondovì (CN)