Contemporary Artists' Residences in Italy Inspire Art Itself
The BoCS Art residences serve as inspiration and help foster dialogue between locals and artists in Cosenza, Italy
BoCS Art is an art residency and urban regeneration project that brings young artists from all over the world to Cosenza, Italy. More than 300 international artists have completed residencies here since the project was inaugurated in July 2015. Curated by Alberto Dambruoso, it welcomes artists for periods of 15 to 30 days, at the discretion of the organisers. They live and work in the modules while getting to know each other, meeting Cosenza locals and taking inspiration from their surroundings. The public is invited to watch them while they work, and the completed pieces will enter the collection of the soon-to-be-opened Contemporary Art Museum of Cosenza.
I am an artist myself, and almost two years ago, in October 2015, I was selected to stay at the BoCS Art complex. Using a poetic and sometimes metaphorical language, I create photos and conceptual works; my work at BoCS focused on the theme of transition. I was really excited to come back a second time to document this residency project and share it with the world.
The 27 BoCS (a play on the English word “box,” since the structures resemble boxes, and “CS,” the abbreviation for Cosenza) Art modules are themselves a striking work of contemporary architecture. Set by the river Crati, they were designed by architect and current Cosenza city mayor Mario Occhiuto. The aim of connecting Cosenza locals and resident artists is at the heart of the units’ design. The houses were purposely given glass fronts so that passersby would be able to watch the artists work. However, they don’t only set the scene for a great public art initiative, but also help revitalise a previously abandoned part of the city.
I am an artist myself, and almost two years ago, in October 2015, I was selected to stay at the BoCS Art complex. Using a poetic and sometimes metaphorical language, I create photos and conceptual works; my work at BoCS focused on the theme of transition. I was really excited to come back a second time to document this residency project and share it with the world.
The 27 BoCS (a play on the English word “box,” since the structures resemble boxes, and “CS,” the abbreviation for Cosenza) Art modules are themselves a striking work of contemporary architecture. Set by the river Crati, they were designed by architect and current Cosenza city mayor Mario Occhiuto. The aim of connecting Cosenza locals and resident artists is at the heart of the units’ design. The houses were purposely given glass fronts so that passersby would be able to watch the artists work. However, they don’t only set the scene for a great public art initiative, but also help revitalise a previously abandoned part of the city.
The modules stand just downhill of the town, along the banks of the river Crati. They were designed to create dialogue with the river and to be sustainable. Among other environmentally friendly features, the modules are built of glulam and incorporate solar panels.
In 2015 this project was awarded the Smart Communities prize by Smau Napoli, the Naples chapter of an Italian business and innovation group. The project’s aim is to re-establish Cosenza’s river-based identity and to create a new space for artists from Italy and Europe more broadly.
Prefabricated wooden modules: Cesario Legnoedilizia
In 2015 this project was awarded the Smart Communities prize by Smau Napoli, the Naples chapter of an Italian business and innovation group. The project’s aim is to re-establish Cosenza’s river-based identity and to create a new space for artists from Italy and Europe more broadly.
Prefabricated wooden modules: Cesario Legnoedilizia
Besides the 27 modules, there is also a common dining area and a multi-functional space for common use. This multi-use area is bigger than the boxes and features an entrance hall, a bathroom, an office and a big room where the staff and resident artists organise debates, meetings, and workshops.
From left to right: Natalino Spadafora, Piero Gagliardi, Fabrizio Marano and Patrizia Pichierri from the Raku Aps association
An association called Raku Aps was established in 2015 to manage the organisation and the logistics of the BoCS Art project. Their name is a combination of raku, a Japanese pottery technique originally developed for producing Zen Buddhist tea ceremony ware, and APS, Associazione di Promozione Sociale (Social Promotion Association). It was great to see them all again when I came back to BoCS.
Raku Aps’ Patrizia Pichierri, Natalino Spadafora, Fabrizio Marano and Pietro Gagliardi are the first people any artist meets at the beginning of his or her stay. They welcome artists and take care of their needs from their office in box 1.
Before a new artist comes in, the boxes are cleaned and the linens are changed. Scheduled meals, prepared by a catering company, are the only constraints on the artists’ time: Breakfast is from 8:00 to 10:00, lunch at 13:30 and dinner at 20:30. Otherwise, each artist is free to manage their days as they wish.
An association called Raku Aps was established in 2015 to manage the organisation and the logistics of the BoCS Art project. Their name is a combination of raku, a Japanese pottery technique originally developed for producing Zen Buddhist tea ceremony ware, and APS, Associazione di Promozione Sociale (Social Promotion Association). It was great to see them all again when I came back to BoCS.
Raku Aps’ Patrizia Pichierri, Natalino Spadafora, Fabrizio Marano and Pietro Gagliardi are the first people any artist meets at the beginning of his or her stay. They welcome artists and take care of their needs from their office in box 1.
Before a new artist comes in, the boxes are cleaned and the linens are changed. Scheduled meals, prepared by a catering company, are the only constraints on the artists’ time: Breakfast is from 8:00 to 10:00, lunch at 13:30 and dinner at 20:30. Otherwise, each artist is free to manage their days as they wish.
The idea behind the design of the BoCS Art complex was that empty space is open for creation. Each box has a workshop on the ground floor that is always visible from the street, and a sleeping area on the second storey, which can be concealed with a white curtain. There is also a small bathroom with a shower on the first floor.
The furniture is sparse: there is only a table and a chair on the ground floor, and a double sofa-bed and a closet on the second. Each box has two air conditioners powered by solar panels on the roof.
Since there are not many low-cost furniture shops in Calabria, artists are obliged to find most of the things they need at secondhand markets. These tend to sell more old-fashioned furniture that doesn’t match the contemporary style of the boxes.
The furniture is sparse: there is only a table and a chair on the ground floor, and a double sofa-bed and a closet on the second. Each box has two air conditioners powered by solar panels on the roof.
Since there are not many low-cost furniture shops in Calabria, artists are obliged to find most of the things they need at secondhand markets. These tend to sell more old-fashioned furniture that doesn’t match the contemporary style of the boxes.
Many artists appreciate the austere furniture in the box, because the emptiness helps them think, and because a white space can be filled with notes, materials and, in the end, the work of art itself.
On the other hand, many of the artists told me that the idea of living in a glass structure bothered them at first, because they felt like they were in a shop window or on a monitor. After a while, however, they stopped feeling so self-conscious, and the window in fact transformed into a way to display themselves and their work to the world.
Another downside to the setup of the boxes is that there is little to block out sunlight in daytime or street lamps at night. On the other hand, the fact that the artists can close the bedroom off with a curtain also means it is often the messiest part of each structure.
On the other hand, many of the artists told me that the idea of living in a glass structure bothered them at first, because they felt like they were in a shop window or on a monitor. After a while, however, they stopped feeling so self-conscious, and the window in fact transformed into a way to display themselves and their work to the world.
Another downside to the setup of the boxes is that there is little to block out sunlight in daytime or street lamps at night. On the other hand, the fact that the artists can close the bedroom off with a curtain also means it is often the messiest part of each structure.
Work of Art: ‘La Cueilleuse’, by Cécile Hug; plaster on wood, 2017
Resident artists are supposed to interact with their box: it is not only their home and workshop, but also an exhibition space that allows them to present their work to the city. During my residency, I made two works on the theme of transition, and in the final presentation I incorporated the objects I used while living in the box: a bedside table, a reading light, some city guides and maps, a mirror and a wall clock. I had found these things at markets and displayed them to symbolise my time in the box.
Likewise, the piece ‘La Cueilleuse’ by Swiss-French artist Cécile Hug (pictured) incorporates its surroundings. In homage to Cosenza’s many olive groves and inspired by the poem Arbolé Arbolé, by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, Hug created hundreds of plaster olives and installed them on a wooden circle suspended from the ceiling.
She explains that she designed the piece to “float in the middle of the window. The height of the piece allows it to be viewed from above, and because of where it’s hung it looks like it is framed by the window, whether you look at it from the inside or the outside.”
During their first few days at the residence, artists get a chance to get to know the city better, look for inspiration for their work, explore the surroundings, talk to local people and find the materials they need. The municipality of Cosenza provides bicycles upon request.
Resident artists are supposed to interact with their box: it is not only their home and workshop, but also an exhibition space that allows them to present their work to the city. During my residency, I made two works on the theme of transition, and in the final presentation I incorporated the objects I used while living in the box: a bedside table, a reading light, some city guides and maps, a mirror and a wall clock. I had found these things at markets and displayed them to symbolise my time in the box.
Likewise, the piece ‘La Cueilleuse’ by Swiss-French artist Cécile Hug (pictured) incorporates its surroundings. In homage to Cosenza’s many olive groves and inspired by the poem Arbolé Arbolé, by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, Hug created hundreds of plaster olives and installed them on a wooden circle suspended from the ceiling.
She explains that she designed the piece to “float in the middle of the window. The height of the piece allows it to be viewed from above, and because of where it’s hung it looks like it is framed by the window, whether you look at it from the inside or the outside.”
During their first few days at the residence, artists get a chance to get to know the city better, look for inspiration for their work, explore the surroundings, talk to local people and find the materials they need. The municipality of Cosenza provides bicycles upon request.
I went back to Cosenza during the third week of a cohort’s stay. Raku Aps’ Fabrizio Marano met me at the station, and I was assigned box number 7. I then met the artists, who had gathered for lunch. They were already a tight-knit group by this point.
There was excitement in the air because they were getting ready for the final event, when they would present their work to the city. Maybe because I knew exactly what they were going through, they immediately made me feel part of the group.
I then had a chance to take a look at their artwork. I chatted with the artists about their pieces and how the architecture of their BoCS modules affected their artistic process.
There was excitement in the air because they were getting ready for the final event, when they would present their work to the city. Maybe because I knew exactly what they were going through, they immediately made me feel part of the group.
I then had a chance to take a look at their artwork. I chatted with the artists about their pieces and how the architecture of their BoCS modules affected their artistic process.
Work of art: ‘Fullon’ (Leaf), by Chiara Valentini; fabric sculpture with silk embroidery, 2017
I began the interviews with my neighbour Chiara Valentini, an artist from the Marche region, who works with fabric. Doing some research on Cosenza during her first few days at BoCS, she learned that an important industry in the town is the cultivation of silkworms. So, she decided to make a ‘cocoon’.
“Just as the silkworm creates the cocoon where it will turn into a chrysalis with just one thread, I used just one silk thread to create my sculpture,” Valentini says. “Since everyone in the city is involved in silkworm cultivation, I asked them to give me pieces of fabric to recreate the feel of their community, and they also gave me silk threads. I used the fabric they gave me and added some embroidery related to people who helped me along the way, or to symbols I found in the old town area.
“My sculpture was further influenced by this experience, where you share practically everything, even though you have your own separate space to live in.”
I began the interviews with my neighbour Chiara Valentini, an artist from the Marche region, who works with fabric. Doing some research on Cosenza during her first few days at BoCS, she learned that an important industry in the town is the cultivation of silkworms. So, she decided to make a ‘cocoon’.
“Just as the silkworm creates the cocoon where it will turn into a chrysalis with just one thread, I used just one silk thread to create my sculpture,” Valentini says. “Since everyone in the city is involved in silkworm cultivation, I asked them to give me pieces of fabric to recreate the feel of their community, and they also gave me silk threads. I used the fabric they gave me and added some embroidery related to people who helped me along the way, or to symbols I found in the old town area.
“My sculpture was further influenced by this experience, where you share practically everything, even though you have your own separate space to live in.”
Work of art: ‘Liquid Memory’, by Monica Pennazzi; cotton fibre with silicon wire, 2017
Brazil-based Italian artist Monica Pennazzi creates urban installations. During her stay she created a work of art that was placed in the river itself.
“I wanted to create a sculpture for the river flowing right in front of my box. After looking at its slopes and bends, I secured some ribbons to plaster buoys. The flow of the water tightens the ribbons, giving shape to the sculpture. In the installation you see in the box, I re-created the same effect using the limits imposed by the space. Wires hang from above, cross cotton wool [not visible in the photo] and just lie on the floor. They exit the box on one side and then come back in following the flow of energy. If you look at my work from the outside, with its reflection on the glass of the box, it evokes the idea of an energy flow mixing and merging with the surrounding landscape.”
Monica felt really comfortable in the box. Her own home is a loft-studio in which empty space plays a crucial role, since she needs “to occupy the space herself and move freely within it.”
Brazil-based Italian artist Monica Pennazzi creates urban installations. During her stay she created a work of art that was placed in the river itself.
“I wanted to create a sculpture for the river flowing right in front of my box. After looking at its slopes and bends, I secured some ribbons to plaster buoys. The flow of the water tightens the ribbons, giving shape to the sculpture. In the installation you see in the box, I re-created the same effect using the limits imposed by the space. Wires hang from above, cross cotton wool [not visible in the photo] and just lie on the floor. They exit the box on one side and then come back in following the flow of energy. If you look at my work from the outside, with its reflection on the glass of the box, it evokes the idea of an energy flow mixing and merging with the surrounding landscape.”
Monica felt really comfortable in the box. Her own home is a loft-studio in which empty space plays a crucial role, since she needs “to occupy the space herself and move freely within it.”
Work of art: ‘Division’, by Hannah Leah Gibbs; acrylic on wood, 2017
New York-based Norwegian artist Hanna Leah Gibbs started her experience by looking farther afield and exploring the landscape around Cosenza.
“My work represents the city coming down from the hill. I was really impressed by the decadence of the old town and its beautiful abandoned palaces over which nature seems to have gained the upper hand.”
Even though the lack of furnishings made her uncomfortable at first, she believes that discomfort helps you challenge yourself: “I’ve never worked in such a white space. My own studio is full of books and plants, but here cleanliness is important because this is the space where the work will be exhibited.”
New York-based Norwegian artist Hanna Leah Gibbs started her experience by looking farther afield and exploring the landscape around Cosenza.
“My work represents the city coming down from the hill. I was really impressed by the decadence of the old town and its beautiful abandoned palaces over which nature seems to have gained the upper hand.”
Even though the lack of furnishings made her uncomfortable at first, she believes that discomfort helps you challenge yourself: “I’ve never worked in such a white space. My own studio is full of books and plants, but here cleanliness is important because this is the space where the work will be exhibited.”
Work of art: ‘FERROcarta’, by Antonio Finelli; pencil on paper, 2017
Later on I visited Antonio Finelli, an artist from Molise who lives in Rome. His work investigates the signs time leaves on human skin. He often works together with the elderly, and considers them a resource.
“Working from photographs, I drew small parts of the human body with pencil,” he says. Interacting with space, he decided to install his work on iron pedestals. These thin supports remind him of the lives of the people he depicts, as he associates their linearity with the path of life.
He saw the box as an advantage. “I only work during the day, making the most of natural light, so I really enjoyed this huge window that lets light in all day long.”
Later on I visited Antonio Finelli, an artist from Molise who lives in Rome. His work investigates the signs time leaves on human skin. He often works together with the elderly, and considers them a resource.
“Working from photographs, I drew small parts of the human body with pencil,” he says. Interacting with space, he decided to install his work on iron pedestals. These thin supports remind him of the lives of the people he depicts, as he associates their linearity with the path of life.
He saw the box as an advantage. “I only work during the day, making the most of natural light, so I really enjoyed this huge window that lets light in all day long.”
Installation by Emanuela Barilotti Caruso redone by Novella Oliana
Novella Oliana is an Apulian artist who lives in France. Unlike most of the artists I talked to, she chose a fully furnished box for her stay. Artist Emanuela Barilozzi Caruso had stayed there previously, and decorated the box with furniture she got from Cosenza locals. In this way, Caruso created an interior full of memories.
Novella Oliana is an Apulian artist who lives in France. Unlike most of the artists I talked to, she chose a fully furnished box for her stay. Artist Emanuela Barilozzi Caruso had stayed there previously, and decorated the box with furniture she got from Cosenza locals. In this way, Caruso created an interior full of memories.
Oliana wanted this box because she’s interested in how memory is stratified in space. She wanted to add a new layer of ‘lived life’ to the existing stratifications of memory.
Of course, she did move some things around. She placed an armchair outside, and stood a big mirror up against the window opposite it. This has a double function: passersby who sit in the chair can enjoy the surrounding landscape through the mirror, while she gets to be partially screened from view.
Of course, she did move some things around. She placed an armchair outside, and stood a big mirror up against the window opposite it. This has a double function: passersby who sit in the chair can enjoy the surrounding landscape through the mirror, while she gets to be partially screened from view.
Work of art: ‘Qui Sarà Quel Che Ho Visto In Realtà’ (Here is What I Actually Saw), by Novella Oliana; photographic installation, 2017
“I used the loci method [which includes the better-known ‘mind palace’ method], which dates back to classical Greece and is used in our times to train cognitive memory,” Oliana says. “It consists of the association of an image or concept that has to be remembered with a particular corner of a house or with a stop on a journey. Travelling through this map again and finding images or concepts, it is possible to rebuild the memory.”
Her artwork, consisting of images put up around the box, often in frames she found left behind by other artists, created a memory palace in the physical space. This traced the journey from the house in Cosenza, an intimate space, to the openness of the sea.
“I used the loci method [which includes the better-known ‘mind palace’ method], which dates back to classical Greece and is used in our times to train cognitive memory,” Oliana says. “It consists of the association of an image or concept that has to be remembered with a particular corner of a house or with a stop on a journey. Travelling through this map again and finding images or concepts, it is possible to rebuild the memory.”
Her artwork, consisting of images put up around the box, often in frames she found left behind by other artists, created a memory palace in the physical space. This traced the journey from the house in Cosenza, an intimate space, to the openness of the sea.
Elio Castellana is another Apulian artist, who lives in Rome. His work focuses on the obscuring of vision, which is why I chose to photograph him here among the clouds on the upper floor of his box.
After years of work as an actor, he switched to photography to research the true nature of the image itself. By partially obscuring vision, he reflects on how those interruptions create new images of things that do not really exist.
“I came here with an ascetic spirit and found the essence of life in this box. My home is full of things because I usually accumulate a lot of stuff. The emptiness of this box was a relief, as I have always dreamed of living in this kind of space, which is so contemporary and full of glass.”
After years of work as an actor, he switched to photography to research the true nature of the image itself. By partially obscuring vision, he reflects on how those interruptions create new images of things that do not really exist.
“I came here with an ascetic spirit and found the essence of life in this box. My home is full of things because I usually accumulate a lot of stuff. The emptiness of this box was a relief, as I have always dreamed of living in this kind of space, which is so contemporary and full of glass.”
Overall, therefore, most of the artists found the open architecture of the box to be an inspirational and driving factor in their creative process.
My last night in the art city was Dionigi Mattia Gagliardi’s birthday. He is the president of Numero Cromatico, a research centre focused on the study of the relationships between art and science. He invited everyone to his box, put on some music, and the party was on.
My last night in the art city was Dionigi Mattia Gagliardi’s birthday. He is the president of Numero Cromatico, a research centre focused on the study of the relationships between art and science. He invited everyone to his box, put on some music, and the party was on.
Before leaving, each artist writes his or her name on the wood next to the door of their box or on iron nameplates.
The municipality of Cosenza has managed to collect more than 300 works of art through this project. These will be exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum of Cosenza, which will be housed in the San Domenico Monastery once its renovations are complete. Artwork created in 2015 and 2016 is listed in a catalogue published by Manfredi Edizioni.
My stay in the residence was very important both for my professional and personal growth. It was nice to come back and retell the stories of the artists who are now living here. On my second day, when it came time to leave again, it was hard to say goodbye – but it was time to pack up and leave the box to a new artist.
The municipality of Cosenza has managed to collect more than 300 works of art through this project. These will be exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum of Cosenza, which will be housed in the San Domenico Monastery once its renovations are complete. Artwork created in 2015 and 2016 is listed in a catalogue published by Manfredi Edizioni.
My stay in the residence was very important both for my professional and personal growth. It was nice to come back and retell the stories of the artists who are now living here. On my second day, when it came time to leave again, it was hard to say goodbye – but it was time to pack up and leave the box to a new artist.
We thank the artists who stayed at the BoCS Art complex from July 8 to 27, 2017: Alessandro Valeri, Maren Marie Mathiesen, Cécile Hug, Sara Ricciardi, Renée Lotenero, Numero Cromatico [Dionigi Mattia Gagliardi, Manuel Focareta, Marco Marini, Jacopo Natoli], Chiara Valentini, Ezia Mitolo, Elio Castellana, Antonio Finelli, Angelo Ventimiglia, Novella Oliana, Hanna Leah Gibbs, Leonardo Cannistrà, Luisa de Donato, Monica Pennazzi, SNEM, Bruno Aller, Alessandro Fornaci, Maria Di Cosmo.
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Who lives here: 26 artists in stretches of 15 to 30 days. One of the modules houses project administration.
Where: Cosenza, southern Italy
Size: Each module is about 25 square metres, over two levels, and comprises a bedroom, a bathroom and a workshop. There is also an about 100-square-metre multi-functional communal space
Year built: 2015
Architect: Mario Occhiuto