“L’archetipo della morte e della rinascita quasi dappertutto e sempre torna a vestirsi nella forma simbolica d’un inghiottimento nel ventre della balena o nelle sofferenze asinine o nel serpente verde che atterrisce, ma ha il segreto della rinascita”.
(Elémire Zolla, Uscite dal mondo, Adelphi, 1992.)
Pinoeye of waste
After Beograd, Tokyo, Florence, Genoa, Modica, now Edoardo Malagigi’s Pinocchio project, well known now as Pinoeye, (English translation of Italian Pino-occhio as a play on the real name Collodi’s Pinocchio) comes to Shanghai in one of the most popular areas of the city, exactly in the big luxury market centre of West NanJing Road, nearby the beautiful and exclusive world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
As always, it deals with Pinocchio, the famous character invented by Carlo Collodi, and one of Malagigi’s main research interests for many years. As before, the structure is conceived as a big site-specific installation using selected waste material, discarded from the big market centre, which will be used to create, together with the students of nearby schools, a big sculpture with a skeleton made of iron pipes covered with the adapted waste and recycled equipment.
Malagigi’s research has focused for many years on to the idea of preserving the environment from waste. Waste disposal is still so important in our time, in an era of consumerism. Recycling waste it is so important. The reuse of waste to make art is Malagigi’s most important goal. It is a kind of alchemy, as it is in Collodi’s well known tale and as it is always in the Art process.
One is constantly reminded about the death and rebirth of all things, as this is the hidden secret of life, but we can also think about the food we eat, which finally dies in our body to be transformed into energy for life.
Of course we have to overcome a lot of trials and tribulations, like Pinocchiowhen he is in the stomach of the whale or when his ears are changed into donkey’s ears, or when he meets the green snake.
An encouragement to follow the right path is a basic idea for all people. This is the truth you can find in the teaching of this tale.
Saverio Simi de Burgis