Catharsis, known as “katharsis” in Greek, means “purification” and is what we need at this time of climate emergency. I strongly believe that the climate crisis must be communicated not only through scientific data but also through art. Theater, for example, has the power to shake one’s soul, raise awareness of the seriousness of the situation, and fuel the imagination to create a regenerative, equitable, just, and sustainable vision. A vision worth fighting for. Since 2023, I have had the honor of being the Italian contact person for Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA), a cultural movement and global theater festival against climate change, involving artists from all over the world. In addition to the artistic component, we also promote concrete actions in support of climate, both civically, politically, and environmentally. We involve the scientific community and universities, just to name a few, to create multidisciplinary synergies and address this global challenge.
During the Venice staging of Camila Le-Bert’s Mirror Mirror, I engaged WWF and Extinction Rebellion activists, along with their performance group Red Rebel Brigade, in the role of Coryphaeus. I invited them to act as witnesses and judges on the issue of climate justice. I wanted to bring into dialogue, through theater, these two movements that, although they share common goals, differ in their methods.
In my acting career, I had the opportunity to work with Ellen Stewart, a pioneer of experimental theater and founder of Café La MaMa in New York. Stewart told me that during a performance in Jerusalem, she was able to bring Israeli and Palestinian groups into dialogue. Her was a theater that embraced the whole world. Inspired by MaMa and the rituality and universality of her theater, I also wanted to include the sacred rituals of indigenous peoples in Mirror Mirror. For example, I reinterpreted the ice ritual of the Quyllurit’i pilgrimage, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity and threatened by climate change. My choice to include these elements was motivated by the need to create a symbolic moment of returning to nature through a non-Western perspective, emphasizing the importance of purification. I wanted different voices to come together, overcoming the idea of boundaries through a common universal intention. For years, the concept of boundaries has been a fundamental question in my artistic research and production. Boundaries are important because they allow us to assert our individuality and enable us to perceive different worlds from different perspectives. However, boundaries can also create barriers to creativity. It is open-mindedness that fosters an effective creative process.
For this very reason, I founded Art Aia – Creatives In Residence, an international artist residency. This space offers opportunities to meet and experiment in the field of creativity, with a focus on sustainable art practices. Finally, theater, when masterfully realized, transcends boundaries because it possesses the very essence of life, that human vibration capable of conveying messages that can help us in the greatest battle of our century: the defense of our planet, the most precious asset we have.
Written by Giovanni E. Morassutti
Published by DiverCity Magazine in December 2023
ART AIA - CREATIVES IN RESIDENCE 