2024 Calcium carbonate (from the quarries of the Apuan Alps), consumer products, shelving, “Novellae” body cream, video performances (12 artists), social media channels First presented at: artQ13, Rome
The starting point is the marble quarries of the Apuan Alps, where calcium carbonate is extracted from the mountain and turned into an ingredient for everyday products: toothpastes, supplements, cosmetics. These products are arranged on shelves in the space and physically occupy the area reserved for the audience, replacing the public. Humans perform for consumer goods. Valentina Sansone, performer, interacts on stage with the objects on the shelves. In parallel, “Novellae” is produced: a body cream containing calcium carbonate, made specifically for the event. The cream is promoted on social media channels following standard commercial logic, with dedicated content published during the period of the installation. Twelve women artists contribute video performances that become part of the overall composition of the project. Calcium carbonate functions as the material connecting element: from quarry to cream, from shelf to skin, from the excavated mountain to the product sold. The space fills with goods and empties of spectators.
Regime to be defined — calcium carbonate travels through a material chain: quarry → extraction → product → shelf → body. Here the string is the trajectory of matter itself, which passes from mineral to commodity to cosmetic applied to the skin.
Photo: Cristina Crippa Produced by artQ13.