Pinocchio di Pinocchi
2007
‘Pinocchio di Pinocchi’ was a work created in Florence. Build on a polystyrene form, the exterior body of the puppet was made of scraps and defective parts from the companies of Lago d’Orto, collected by Mastro Geppetto. Reaching a height of 5.7 meters and referencing the shape of popular gadgets of the 1800s, it was presented during the International Day of the Environment in Genoa on June 1, 2010. Composed of five separate pieces, the puppet was fully articulated and capable of different postures such as sitting or standing, running or walking. The intention of the work was to highlight aspects of environmental issues such as the distribution of resources. In collaboration with Gloria Berthold, Gianfranco Masi, and Maurizio Giani.
2023 – On Materials
To give a complete and correct meaning to a work, even knowing that it is nothing more than a metaphor, I believe that some questions need to be considered.
It is difficult to measure the scope of the metaphors that substantiate artistic works, but this is no reason not to reflect on the energy and strength of the message that this sculpture conveys.
One hopes that the image of a work, which fascinates and remains imprinted on the observer’s eye, will be a vehicle of awareness. Without this allure, the memory would fade and it would be difficult to achieve a heightened consciousness.
Sometimes the price to pay for achieving allure and desire and thereby capturing the viewer’s attention, is a reduced attention to the use of natural materials. In the unfortunate event that the sculpture has to be discarded, separating the parts will, however, be relatively easy unlike in many industrial products.
The constitutive and organoleptic analysis of the materials should always take into consideration the workmanship: artisanal or industrial. In our case, the object is handcrafted, not mass produced. It is made for public exhibitions and is neither replicable nor reproducible unlike products designed for market. This Pinocchio, conceived and created almost 20 years ago, would have been imagined differently today, following a line of artistic research that has progressed and matured over the years leading to works that have an internal part in reused and easily recyclable cellulosic materials .
Edoardo Malagigi
Exhibitions
The sculpture was presented for the first time on June 3rd, 2010 in the hall of the Palazzo dei Congressi of the Old Port of Genoa for the opening of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme, based in Geneva) forum and inaugurated by the then-general secretary Gaetano Leone on the occasion of International Environment Days, of which it has become the emblem.
2015, Galleria Sensus di Claudio Cosma, Viale Gramsci, Firenze.
2016, Matite, Pinocchi e Draghi, Biblioteca Pubblica di Lastra a Signa.
2017, SCART. Il lato bello e utile del rifiuto, Camera di Commercio di Pisa.
2018, SCART. Il lato bello e utile del rifiuto, Arte Fiera, Pinacoteca di Bologna e Centro Culturale Altinate San Gaetano, Padova.
