50:50 || Are we there yet?
1st Open Call - ScArt
TIME: Are you living or existing ?
Accepted
#arts, #ArtScience, #climate-change, #empowerment, #future, #humanities, #innovation, #interdisciplinary, #mental-health, #opportunity, #perception, #research, #science, #technologies, #thinking-time, #wellbeing,
- What comes to mind when you think of TIME? >> When I think about time, the first thought that comes to my mind is about the use I have made, I make and I will make of my time. I wonder whether I have made good use of my time or not, what should I be doing right now? I almost feel this incredible urge to be constantly “in time” with everything in my life. However, I do believe it happens quite the opposite: life is what happens to you while you are making plans. And making plans implies a certain control of time that, at the moment, we do not yet possess. Time is one of the most democratic things in the world. After all, we all dispose of 24 hours a day.
- Tell us what you would like to explore more that relates to TIME. >> There are many questions that I would like to raise about time: why are we so scared of time? Why do we fight against time? Why do we not accept our ageing process? Why are we obsessed with our use of time? I hear more and more talking about topics such as “10 things you should do not to waste your time”, “5 things to do instead of resting”, “how to be more productive during your work time”, “how to plan your daily routine”. Do we necessarily need to schedule our lives perfectly? I thought that time was a kind of “human invention”. On the contrary, currently time seems to be the “inventor” and, at the same time, the dictator of humanity.
- How does TIME affect you or those around you, is it a positive or negative thing? >> I do believe that time affects all of us: we live according to time. We plan accurately our days in order to squeeze in as many things as possible: work, meeting friends, going to the supermarket. Time is perceived mostly as something negative. “We are running out of time”; “there is not much time left”; “I do not have time for that”. No matter how rich we are, how healthy we are, we seem to have never enough time in a day, in a month, in a lifetime.
- Why does TIME matter to you? >> Time matters quite a lot to me. As I grew up, I began to appreciate and understand the importance of time more and more. Since 2014 I have been struggling with an eating disorder, namely anorexia. This disorder has totally manipulated my life dictating musts and shouldn’ts. I feel like I have lost much time, precisely my whole adolescence. Therefore I have come to the decision not to spend more time unconsciously, not to give for granted the time that has been given to me. Time is one of the most precious things we have and yet we misuse it.
- What do you hope to gain from participating in this Residency programme? >> I am always open to new experiences that contain the promise of enriching and expanding someone’s horizons. I am curious, therefore I am eager to know more, to be contaminated with different ideas, new opinions, different backgrounds and cultures. I hope to meet people who will inspire me, who will teach me and lead me through the discovery of new perceptions around the concept of time.
- What do you feel you could gain from the mentorship aspect of this programme and the connection to artists, scientists, researchers and industry makers? >> As an artist myself, I believe that this programme could be an occasion of growth and personal development. The experienced visions of professionals from different backgrounds will surely help me to see from a different perspective the concept of time, but also they will help me find an answer to some of my questions. I am looking forward to engaging in enriching conversations and projects with them in order to stimulate my artistic vein, but also my practical skills such as teamwork and communication.
- What do you wish your peers cared about more and how does this issue connect to the theme of TIME? >> I wish that my peers cared more about the environment. It seems a foregone topic since nowadays more and more young people, but also the world in general, seem to care a lot about the environment. Since the foundation of “Fridays for future” in 2018 we have been acknowledging a growing engagement among the youngest who participate in these kinds of manifestations all over the world. Young people post a lot on social media about climate change, tips on how to be more environmentally friendly and so on. They argue that it is extremely important to act NOW as TIME is running out and the earth is dying FASTER and FASTER. But let me ask you a question: do you really believe that they actually engage everyDAY in their LIFE? They spend their Fridays MORNING marching for the environment, rather than going to school, and in the EVENING they go to lunch at McDonalds often leaving garbage all around the city. They spend their money buying fast fashioned clothes and the latest technological item not considering the amount of waste, human exploitation they are sustaining with their purchase. I do believe it is TIME to make young people more aware of what “saving the planet” actually looks like.
- Tell us about something that you saw or read about recently (any topic), share why you found it interesting and how you believe it impacts young people. >> My latest reading has been “Women who run with the wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Éstes. The book talks about how women are genuinely intuitive creatures who are made to follow their instinct, to be free and “sauvage” just like wolves. They are so often oppressed by their native culture, their family, society's rules and stereotypes that they do not recognize their potential and they suppress their nature. As a young woman approaching the adult world, I have found in this book a guide, a beacon illuminating the road to follow in order to preserve and recognize my feminine power. I have profoundly loved this book. I have been fascinated by the ancient tales that are narrated by the author who wisely explains and leads the reader through a process of her/his own understanding. I would recommend this book both to young men and women who would like to get to know the “wild woman” and to unleash the power within everyone of us. I believe that this book represents a good starting point in order to promote the achievement of the 5th goal of the 2030 agenda of the United nations: gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- Describe an experience you are proud of where you were part of a team (e.g. studies, work, relationships) >> As I already said, I have been struggling with anorexia since 2014. In 2017 I have asked for residential inpatient treatment. I stayed in this clinic, which was sort of a house, for 6 months living there with 8 other girls. We became a family. We tried to help each other, to support each other, to cry and laugh together. I was extremely proud of myself the moment when I felt well enough to be a point of reference, to serve as an example of the possibility to win the battle against the illness. Once I was outside the clinic, I have had the chance to meet other unhealthy people who I tried to help. One of them has become a very good friend of mine and thanks to my advice, she convinced herself to meet a psychologist and a nutritionist.
- If Science and Art was an animal what would it look like and what would it do? >> I would say that if Science was an animal, it would be a bee. It is one of the most little animals we constantly see in our daily lives almost without acknowledging its presence. However, without the bees everything would die, their work is essential for our lives. Just like science: we know it is there, but we almost despise it. Without scientific knowledge, we would not have been able to cure many diseases and illnesses, to learn how ill our planet is and how to save it, to discover how our planet has been created and what could the universe contain.
If Art was an animal, I guess it would be a butterfly. At the beginning it looks like nothing special, a not so beautiful caterpillar. However it is just a work in progress, the real transformation is going to happen later. The creative process is just like that: we start accumulating ideas; then we incubate them, we process them in our brain and we start working on our project; in the end we finally produce the completed piece of art. The chrysalis opens and a magnificent, colourful butterfly flies away.
#arts, #ArtScience, #climate-change, #empowerment, #future, #humanities, #innovation, #interdisciplinary, #mental-health, #opportunity, #perception, #research, #science, #technologies, #thinking-time, #wellbeing,
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