VOICE: THE EARTH SPEAKS
VOICE is a social activation device that intertwines collective participation and reflection on the relationship between human beings and nature. A telephone rings in public space and engages passers-by in short interviews, or invites them to listen to sound fragments drawn from spontaneous conversations on the climate crisis, collected during previous installations, all inspired by the central question: “If the Earth could speak, what would it say?”. The telephone thus becomes both an element of disruption in everyday life and an emotional barometer, recording the reactions of ordinary people in the face of the climate emergency. Over time, the installation grows into a living archive, composing an ever-evolving soundscape made up of specific testimonies rooted in place, which reflect the complexity of individual and collective responses to the ecological crisis.
A workshop with young participants was an integral part of the project: through active listening and recording, participants conducted interviews and documented the perception of the ecological crisis within their own local context.
The project VOICE was conceived and created by Remigio Picone, science researcher and artist know as Remi Picó, organized by professors Ersilia Francesca and Valeria Saggiomo, funded by the University L’Orientale within the framework of Public Engagement/Third Mission activities 2024–2025, and supported by the Interuniversity Research Center Dis-4Change: Studies on Climate and Environmental Discourse. The workshop, part of the Artècambiamento project, was carried out in collaboration with the social cooperative Dedalus of Naples and the Intercultural Center Officine Gomitoli, with the support of Dr. Irene Saggiomo from La Repubblica Napoli. Project coordinators for Dedalus: Ismahan Hassen, N’dah Moussan Yvonne, Chiara Pontecorvo, Fatima Ouazri, Alessia Acitom, Ruslan Tavano. Special thanks go to the workshop participants: Chiara Nethmi Perera Katunayakage, Vanderley Neves Fortes, Yasmin Samer Sayed Moustafa Khalifa, Sveva Festa, Riccardo Festa, Matteo Apicella, Stefano Attanasio. We would also like to thank Camilla Calandro, Paola Faoro, Daria Spina, Francesca Vaccaro, Pietro Fabiano for their participation in the installation and for their valuable support in field interviews and photographic documentation. The photographic exhibition was curated by Remi Picó, Camilla Calandro, and Mariano Cinque, technical director of “Il Torcoliere” Officine Grafico Editorial UNIOR.
