And so it begins

– by Arthur Kozlovski

Platters of food, gallons of wine, and unforgettable conversations spawned from a four-hour dinner held on July 24^th at the residency of the Guilmi Art Project (GAP). Created by Lucia Giardino and Federico Bacci, this artist in residency program aims to promote experimentation as well as cultural integration in the small hillside village of Guilmi. For the first time this year GAP is working in coordination with the project Vis a Vis another residence program by Limiti Inchiusi. Amy and I had dinner with the new artist in residence Emanuela Ascari, along with some additional friends, and art professionals, such as Lelio Aiello and Veronique Tracchia, among the others. Between stuffing our faces with roasted potatoes and ventricina, a local specialty sausage, we inquired about the intended work of the artist. Although still in the early phases of the project, the artist intends to use the unique environment of Guilmi as a starting point. Hailing from Bologna, Emanuela’s focus is a site-specific installation, in which she will utilize the physical materials of Guilmi in addition to integrating the unique cultural aspects of this 250-resident town. Emanuela will proceed this week by exploring the ancient river of Guilmi, looking for evidence supporting an old legend that claims the destruction of ancient buildings with the infestation of termites.