Art as a tool to transform a crise in a creative experience

1. Art as a tool to transform a crise in a creative experience

2. Accross countries and different centuries it is possible to individuate at the origin of a cultural renaissance the flourishing of a philosophical or religious movement that poses the dignity of human being at the core of the existence. According to the Italian historian Eugenio Garin the extraordinary experience of Italian Renaissance wa inspired by the humanist ideas of Pico della Mirandola, Lorenzo Valla and Giovanni Petrarca. The Secretum (My secret book) of Petrarca ("Secret Book") is best example of humanistic literature as it is in form of a dialogue. In particular he gave new value to the dialectic, the exchange of ideas and information, by comparison.

3. The Italian artistic Reinasance was inspired by the ideas of the humanist philosopher Pico della Mirandola (1463 -1494) who explained in his writing “De hominis dignitate” (The Oratio on dignity of man, 1486)1, that Man is free and sovereign creator of himself”, as he believed on human capabilities he taught the amazing capacity of Human achievement. It is interesting to remember that almost one hundred year earlier a Buddhist scholar Nichiren Daishonin wrote that Siddarta’s Lotus Sutra contained the essence of enlightenment and that it held the key to transforming people's suffering and enabling society to flourish. All over the world is possible to find good teachings that enables students to recognize and show his\her capabilities in order to contribute to the general wellness and lead happy, empowered lives.

4. Recently an arab scholar George Makdisi wrote that the Islamic culture had an important influence on the emergence of humanism showing that it introduced the concept of transmission of knowledge through theaching. He believes that the Arab conquest of Southern Europe produced a positive cultural advancement. It is important to give a new interpretation of the relation between Europe and Islam, in fact lack of knowledge has a negative influence on international relations. In fact western scholars give a negative or rather partial idea of the Islamic culture because their approach is strongly influenced by the propaganda spread during the Crusades wars.

5. Daisaku Ikeda writes, in his recent Peace Proposal presented to the United Nations, that meeting the other casuses a physical loss of reference and habits, but he adds that a crise can be an occasion to create a change. Ikeda states that the trasformation in the life of a human being can help transformign the environment, as already Nichiren had explained in his religious preachment and also Pico had written in his philosophical writings. In my presentation I will compare the positive result produced by the Islamic dominion in Sicily (9-11 cent.) and the experience of artistic rebirth after the Belice earthquake (1968) in Sicily. Both experience show that the artist creativity can harmonize the meeting with other cultures.

6. Meeting the Other as a physical loss cause a crise: The sudden loss of references and habits. Crises are occasions to transform\create a change. A radical change in the life of a Human being can help transforming the environment. • After 1968’s earthquake in Gibellina the mayor Corrao called a group of Sicilian artists to help the people to give beauty to their new lifeless city. It became a world-known city of art. • Recently the Fondazione Orestiadi in his memory organized an exhibition to show that when the Arab conquered Sicily they left treasures of knowledge and beauty. • Art can help today to promote dialogue and understanding and build a global society based on peaceful exchange.

7. FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI • Islam in Sicily • 827 Aghlabids from Ifriqiya in Sicily (948) - • 1040 end of Kalbits rule • Recent discoveries reveal a material • culture of this chronological period, • new stakes in the most • recent historical and • archaeological research.

8. FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI • Berbers and Arabs conquered the island and deeply interacted with the local culture. Centuries after their departure many important traces are left in the local culture. • The names of tools of work and food are still the same, many cities were founded by the Arab and still keep the original structure. An endless chain of relation has been kept aliveuntil today names of boat are written in Italian and Arabic

9. L’Islam in Sicilia - FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI - 2012 1 - nelle risorse • La perdita di Ludovico Corrao, fondatore e mecenate, vate della promozione terri-toriale attraverso la cultura ed il dialogo • La forte dipendenza dai contributi pubblici • L’attuale sostanziale assenza nella Fondazione di attori privati • La scarsa affluenza al museo, seppure in crescita negli anni (6.000 l’anno)

10. FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI • ON BOTH SHORES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN THE RURAL WORK AND THE TOOLS OF THE PAYSANTS ARE THE SAME AND ALSO THE NAMES OF THE INSTRUMENTS ARE SIMILAR CENTURIES AFTER THE ARAB LEFT THE NORTHERN SHORES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.

11. L’Islam in Sicilia - FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI - 2012

12. FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI STORY TELLING, LIKE JUHA’ S STORIES FOLKLORE TAES LIKE 1001 NIGHTS, THE WEDDING CERIMONIES HAVE MANY ELEMENTS IN COMMON BOTH IN TUNIS AND IN SICILY

13. I punti di debolezza 2 - nella gestione • Le perdite economiche cumulate negli esercizi passati • La difficile situazione finanziaria che ne consegue, pur a fronte di un ricco patrimonio • L’entità dei costi fissi a fronte della aleatorietà delle entrate • L’assenza di una politica di fund raising

14. 1968 - 2012 Gibellina a modern example of cultural peaceful and constructive exchangeGibellina ’68 earthquackeLudovicoCorrao’sReinassance project Art, theatre, music to build the new cityThe Fondazione Orestiadi a Museum and a cultural centre to keep the memory of the Mediterranean civilizations (Fenicians Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Europeans)Dar Bach Hamba, Tunis: Activities to promote dialogues with the Artist & Intellectuals of Mediterranean area and the world. 9

15. THE FLYING CARPET WAS MADE BY THE ITALIAN GROUP OF ARTIST “STALKER” AND A GROUP OF KURDS IMMIGRANTS. THE IDEA IS TO CREATE A PLACE TO REMEMBER THE PAST ISLAMIC EXPERIENCE IN SICILY & AT THE SAME TIME TO RENEW THE POSSIBILITY OF COOPERATING IN ART MAKING PROCESS. THE CARPET HAS VISITED MANY COUNTRIES FROM PAKISTAN TO QATAR, SYRIA & EGYPT

16. IL TAPPETO VOLANTE Stalker – Fondazione Orestiadi - L’islam in Sicilia

17. THE TUNISIAN ARTIST MDJA MDAWI WAS GUEST IN SICILY FOR A WHILE AND HE HELD A LABORATORY WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN SHOWING THE ART OF ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY. SOME OF HIS PAINTINGS ARE NOW EXPOSED AT THE MUSEUM OF THE FONDAZIONE ORESTIADI AS A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF CULTURAL DIALOGUE

19. THE ARTIST ALIGHIERO BOETTI SPENT SOME TIME IN HIS LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN WHERE HE APPRECIATED THE ART OF WOMEN EMBRODERY. HE COOPERATED WITH THEM PREPARING A LONG DRAWING TO BE REPRODUCED AS AN ARTCRAFT

20. PRISENTE – ALIGHIERO BOETTI – Fondazione Orestiadi - L’islam in Sicilia

21. THE ARAB GEOGRAPHER AL-IDIRISI (12TH CENT.) WROTE A BOOK ON GEOGRAPHY DEDICATED TO THE NORMAN KING ROGER 2 IN SICILY. THE ARTIST GROUP STALKER THIGHT TO PRINT THE IMAGE OF THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT ON PLEXIGLASS IN ORDER TO GIVE TO THE STUDENT THE CONCRETE FEELING OF TRAVELLING ACROSS THE WORDS IN THEIR CARACTERISTIC ARAB CALLIGRAPHY

22. LA BIBLIOTECA ARABA– STALKER - 2012 – Fondazione Orestiadi - L’islam in Sicilia

23. A BROKEN BOAT AND LETTERS FROM THE FAMILIES TO REMEMBER THE THOUDANDS IMMIGRANTS DEAD IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, VICTIMS OF THE MAFIA TRADE AND THE INDIFFERENCE OF EUROPEAN CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENTS. Artists inspire the public to think and become aware of human tragedies in order to awaken their conscience and fight unjustice • S)CAMBI di ROTTE – STALKER - 2012 – Fondazione Orestiadi - L’islam in Sicilia

24. S)CAMBI di ROTTE – STALKER - 2012 – Fondazione Orestiadi - L’islam in Sicilia