PASSAGGI BLU - ALBERI

PASSAGGI BLU, ALBERI. Ponte della masseria, Gabbioni del canale, Ponticello dello scalo.

2014, Irsina (MT), Gravina (BA), Taccone (MT).

Land Art intervention in the countryside between Irsina and Gravina, part of the large-scale project Paesaggi in movimento, dedicated to the places traversed by the Apulian-Lucanian railway in the Matera area.

The artistic intervention is tied to the objectives of the Paesaggi in movimento territorial project and the event held in September 2014, which included a day of exploration through the Lucanian countryside by train and on foot, centered on the theme of landscape. The railway follows the terrain’s natural contours; the small train appears and disappears among the hills. Its pace is slow, allowing one to enjoy the landscape and become part of it, as both actor and spectator simultaneously.

Following this theme, the artist chose to highlight with ultramarine blue some of the rare structural elements that support the railway tracks—a bridge, a stone embankment, and a small viaduct—as markers of the railway’s presence, visible from the surrounding countryside. At these sites, in keeping with Passaggi blu created the previous year, blue hay bales were replaced by silhouettes of a local tree (the “pracene”) based on an image developed from graphic and painted representations of the Lucanian landscape.

The event held on September 20, 2014, aimed to raise awareness and engage residents, visitors, and local authorities with the unique landscape offered by this territory and its potential for enhancement, including tourism. The day was organized as follows: gathering in the morning in the historic center of Gravina, where participants could contemplate the artwork Dalla terra e dall’acqua from the viewpoint. This Environmental Art intervention was designed by the artist for Gravina’s Piaggio district but was not realized.

The group then walked to the station for a train journey from Gravina to Irsina on historic carriages provided by FAL, with readings related to the railway and landscape by elementary students and views of the Land Art works Passaggi blu. Alberi. Upon arrival in Irsina, participants toured the historic center with local food and wine tastings. In the afternoon, a walk along countryside paths from Irsina to Borgo Taccone concluded with a final celebration featuring local music and tastings of typical products.