CLIMATE ART PROJECT

presents

WATER TALKS

museums tell the story of a global challenge

curated by Claudia Pecoraro 

scientific supervisor: Andrea Conte

in collaboration with the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali with the support of the ACQUA FOUNDATION

series of meetings from 1 March to 16 April 2024

Rome, Centrale Montemartini | Museum of Rome, Palazzo Braschi | Ara Pacis Museum | Trajan’s Market, Museum of the Imperial Forums | Capitoline Museums

PRESS RELEASE

From 1st March to 16th April, Climate Art Project presents Water Talks | Conversazioni d’Acqua, a series of 5 meetings curated by Claudia Pecoraro, organised in collaboration with the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali and with the support of the Acqua Foundation, which will take place in 5 museums of the Municipality of Rome: Centrale Montemartin; Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi; Museo dell’Ara Pacis; Mercati di Traiano, Museo dei Fori Imperiali; Musei Capitolini.
The project, winner of the Public Notice ‘Collection of project proposals for the realisation of events, shows, initiatives and projects of interest to the Capitoline Administration of city importance’ is promoted by Roma Capitale in collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura.
Climate Art Project is a multidisciplinary project involving art, science and activism, conceived by the artist and scientist Andrea Conte, aka Andreco, and inspired by the most recent scientific and social research on climate change. The project, which began in Paris in 2015 on the occasion of the Cop21 conference on climate change and the first Climate March, consists of a series of interventions in different cities around the world with the aim of raising awareness about Climate Justice and spreading nature-based solutions and best practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
‘Water is an essential element for life, access to water is therefore a universal right for every living being,’ says Andreco, who continues: ’The protection of aquatic ecosystems is so crucial for the common good of the planet that they should be considered legal entities with protections and rights equal to those of humans.’
‘This project renews the vision of beloved museum collections, immersing the narrative of objects from the past in the contemporary’, emphasises Claudia Pecoraro, who continues: ‘At the same time, it aims to raise public awareness of the urgent issue of water, explored from multiple perspectives: from history to the poetic and imaginative language of art, from the rigour of science to philosophy and political activism. Once again, museums are demonstrating that they can play a crucial role in the current debate.’
Objects related to water can include works of art, archaeological finds, scientific instruments, historical artefacts and much more, and there is no museum, whether of art, ancient or contemporary, history, science or popular traditions, that does not preserve artefacts related to water.
Museums, therefore, are crucial places in the debate on the great urgencies of contemporary life, and could become ambassadors in facing the challenges related to the theme of water, to raise awareness and involve ever wider audiences. The common denominator of Water Talks is the focus on water and the exploration of its multiple dimensions – historical, artistic, scientific, literary, anthropological, sociological – with the aim of promoting greater understanding and awareness of the issue, encouraging an in-depth reflection on the sustainable use of this vital resource for our planet. Each meeting, lasting two hours, will involve the curators of the respective museums in dialogue with an artist and two experts (researchers, scientists, historians, philosophers, activists) on the theme of water, moderated by Claudia Pecoraro, curator of the project.

The artists involved are: Andrea Conte (Andreco), Dry Ocean, Alfredo Jaar, Marzia Migliora, Justin Thompson and Jermay Michael Gabriel, Studio Azzurro.

The museum curators involved are: Lucia Cianciulli, Donatella Germanò, Barbara Nobiloni, Lucia Spagnuolo and Ilaria Miarelli Mariani, Director of the Musei Civici della Sovrintendenza Capitolina. The experts (researchers, historians, philosophers, writers, curators, activists) involved are: Valentina Brinis, Alessandro Corsini, Ilaria Gaspari, Andrea Lerda, Matteo Lucchetti, Barbara Nardacchione, Rosario Pavia, Bartolomeo Schirone, Lorenzo Teodonio, Maria Cristina Tullio. For each meeting, starting from a work preserved in each museum, a debate will be held to draw parallels between the contemporary artworks of the artist involved and current research in the scientific and humanistic fields.

WATER TALKS

5°) martedì 16 aprile – Musei Capitolini

Aqua, fondazioni e migrazioni

Ilaria Miarelli Mariani, Direttrice dei Musei Civici della Sovrintendenza Capitolina

presenta

Rubens, Romolo e Remo allattati dalla Lupa, olio su tela, inizi 1600

in dialogo con

Alfredo Jaar, artista

Valentina Brinis, Open Arms – Advocacy Officer

con il contributo video: Andreco, TIBERINA Parade for the river Tiber. Collective Performance (teaser).

Finissage

4°) venerdì 5 aprile – Mercati di Traiano, Museo dei Fori Imperiali

Acqua, Potere, Decostruzione e Decolonizzazione

La curatrice Lucia Cianciulli

presenta

Il labrum (vasca) di porfido rosso egiziano dal Templum Pacis, III sec. d.C.

in dialogo con

Justin Thompson e Jermay Michael Gabriel, artisti

Matteo Lucchetti, curatore per le arti e culture contemporanee, Museo delle Civiltà

Lorenzo Teodonio, storico, Wu Ming Foundation

con un contributo video inedito di Dry Ocean

3°) giovedì 28 marzo 2024 – Museo dell’Ara Pacis

Acque dolci, ovvero della fecondità 

La curatrice Lucia Spagnuolo

presenta

Il rilievo della Tellus, marmo di Carrara, I sec. a.C.

in dialogo con

Marzia Migliora, artista

Bartolomeo Schirone, presidente SIRF Società Italiana di Restauro Forestale, già prof. ordinario di Selvicoltura e Assestamento forestale

Ilaria Gaspari, filosofa

2°) venerdì 15 marzo 2024 – Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi

I fiumi e la città di Roma

La curatrice Donatella Germanò

presenta

La sala “Il Tevere e i nuovi argini” (3° piano)

in dialogo con

Andrea Conte (Andreco), artista

Rosario Pavia, Associazione Tevereterno

Andrea Lerda, curatore Museo Nazionale della Montagna di Torino

Maria Cristina Tullio, Studio PAESAGGI e paesaggi

1°) venerdì 1° marzo 2024 – Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini

Il sistema dell’acqua: visione, percezione, relazione, progettazione

La curatrice Barbara Nobiloni

presenta

Le macchine del vapore e il ciclo dell’acqua: caldaie, cavallino, condensatori e turbine

in dialogo con

Studio Azzurro, artisti

Alessandro Corsini, docente di Macchine a Fluido, Dipartimento di Ingegneria meccanica e aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma

Barbara Nardacchione, Ocean Space