•contro-corrente #3
Exhibition contro-corrente #3_Fondation pour l’Art Contemporain Espace Ecureuil_Toulouse_2018
Inspired by Pier Paolo Pasolini’s travel diary, La lunga strada di sabbia, the journey he made in 1959 along the Italian coasts behind the wheel of his Millecento, I followed his same route, alone, behind the wheel of my van, from coast to coast, revisiting the places he described 60 years earlier. I chose to split the itinerary into three parts and follow it in the opposite direction, to begin with the territory of his childhood. His travel diary became my roadmap and his poetry my travelling companion ! This text, accompanied by the photographs of Paolo di Paolo, was published in three parts in the magazine Successo, between July and September ’59. It was therefore little known until it was recently published in book form (in Italy, in Romanzi e racconti edited by Mondadori Editions in 1998 and in France, under the title La longue route de sable by Arléa Editions in 1999). This story already contains all his poetry, his authentic and sometimes incisive remarks on the state of this territory, his love for it…
Year in, year out, through discoveries and chance encounters, I collected many photographs, videographies, sounds, words, objects, sand… with which I then composed the trilogy contro-corrente #1, #2 and #3, presented in audio-visual installations accompanied by the publication of my travel diaries ( onomato edition sine ).
•contro-corrente #3 retraces the three-month journey along the entire southern part of Italy, from Pescara going from the east to the west coast, passing through Sicily, and finally ending the trip at the Lido di Ostia. This last stop on La lunga strada di sabbia is also the place where Pier Paolo Pasolini was savagely murdered.
Inspirée par le récit de Pier Paolo Pasolini, “La lunga strada di sabbia”, ce voyage qu’il réalisa en 1959, longeant le littoral italien au volant de sa Millecento, j’ai moi-même repris cette route, seule, au volant de ma camionnette, de côte en côte, allant revisiter les lieux qu’il décrivait 60 ans auparavant. J’ai choisi de diviser l’itinéraire en trois étapes et de le suivre à contre-courant pour débuter par le territoire de son enfance. Son journal est devenu ma feuille de route et sa poésie mon compagnon de voyage ! Ce texte, accompagné des photographies de Paolo di Paolo, fut publié de juillet à septembre 59 dans trois numéros de la revue “Successo”. Il fut donc peu connu, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit nouvellement diffusé sous forme de livre (en Italie, dans le recueil “Romanzi e racconti” édité par les éditions Mondadori, en 1998 et en France, sous le titre “La longue route de sable” par les éditions Arléa, en 1999). Ce récit recèle déjà toute sa poésie, ses remarques authentiques, incisives parfois, sur l’état de ce territoire, son amour pour celui-ci…
D’année en année, au fil des découvertes et des rencontres fortuites, j’ai collecté de nombreuses photographies, vidéographies, des sons, des mots, des objets, du sable… avec lesquels j’ai ensuite composé la trilogie “contro-corrente #1, #2 et #3” que j’ai présentée sous forme d’installations audio-visuelles accompagnées de la publication de mes journaux de voyage ( onomato edition sine ).
•“contro-corrente #3” retrace le parcours de trois mois, en repartant de Pescara pour longer tout le sud de l’Italie, de la côte est à la côte ouest, en passant par la Sicile, et enfin terminer le voyage au Lido di Ostia. Cette dernière étape sur “La lunga strada di sabbia” est également le lieu où Pier Paolo Pasolini fut sauvagement assassiné.
For more details see the video attached https://vimeo.com/279669336
with the support of the Fondation pour l’Art Contemporain Espace Ecureuil_Toulouse and the Château Coquelle_Dunkerque
The project title <i>contro-corrente</i> print on orange adhesive letters on both front doors of my van. (Picture taken in Calabria)
Exhibition view <i>contro-corrente #3</i>, Fondation pour l'Art Contemporain Espace Ecureuil, Toulouse, 2018. (All Photographs exhibition views © François Talairach)
<i>Portraits liste</i>, list of 12 to 15 titles of books or music, printed on paper, passe-partout, wood frame, 20x20 cm, 2018
<i>Cartographie #2</i>, graphite, black ink, felt-tip pens on paper, wood frame, 111x168 cm, 2018 (Photo © François Talairach)
<i>Omaggio a Pier Paolo Pasolini</i>, 2 pigmentary prints on cotton paper mountained on wood, 10x10 cm each, vase, bouquet of lilies, 2015-2018 (Detail)
Exhibition view, in the corner : <i>Lido di Ostia</i> (Sand collected at <i>Idroscalo</i>, place where Pasolini was savagely murdered), 2014-2017
Installation <i>Mola di Bari, cc3</i>, 1 print on blue back mountained on the wall, 250x167 cm, 11 pigmentary prints on cotton paper, various sizes mountained on wood or framed, 2018
Installation <i>Clair obscur, cc3</i>, 11 pigmentary prints on cotton paper, various sizes mountained on wood or framed, 2018
<i>Passion, cc3</i>, 20 pigmentary prints on cotton paper mountained on wood, red wall, 15x15 cm each, 2018
Installation <i>Idroscalo, cc3</i>, 1 print on blue back mountained on the wall, 167x250 cm, 24 pigmentary prints on cotton paper, various sizes mountained on wood or framed, 2018
Installation <i>Pompei, cc3</i>, 1 print on blue back mountained on the wall, 167x250 cm, 24 pigmentary prints on cotton paper, various sizes mountained on wood, 2018