Loro (Them)

For More Art’s premiere international commission, Krzysztof Wodiczko worked closely with members of Milan’s growing immigrant population to explore the complexities of life as a refugee on a continent that is increasingly hostile towards foreign newcomers. The technologically pioneering installation was launched during Milan Photo Week and feature several drones flying over the city center, projecting both image and sound to audiences below.

During the live performance, a swarm of customized drones carrying LED screens and amplified sound implicated the public in a series of intimate debates led by immigrant Milanesi. The eyes and the voice of the airborne machines belong to a cast of migrants ranging in immigration experience, national origin, and age. To produce this complex work, More Art engaged with Fondazione Casa della Carità, a social institution which provides housing, counseling, medical services, occupational mentorship, cultural initiatives, and legal aide programs to the homeless, roma people, and immigrants living in informal settlements or irregular camps in the outskirts of Milan.

Download the press release (English)

As the so-called refugee crisis and rising nationalistic sentiments continues to unfold in Europe and The United States, citizens are demanding more and more strict immigration laws. Though the media is often preoccupied with how the crisis will impact the lives of the native population, the voices of immigrants go unheard. In an effort to foster dialogue and mutual understanding, Loro (Them) will offer a platform for rendering the perspectives of invisibilized members of society.

While drones have gone from being a strictly military security resource to having numerous recreational and humanitarian applications, the connotations of fear, automation, and surveillance remain. To many people, drones are linked to danger and intrusion, painted as inhumane devices. With this project, Wodiczko is turning these connotations on their head, using drones to emphasize individual experiences, to call out the fear that drones invoke and replace it with empathy. Wodiczko strives to bring to light the complexities of immigrant identities today, not just in Italy but around the world.

Read the full performance script in the Loro (Them) publication here.

Excerpt: Dudù Kouate

Mi chiamo Dudù Kouate, vengo dal Senegal, vivo in Italia da trent’anni, sono musicista.
My name is Dudu Kouate, I come from Senegal, I have lived in Italy for thirty years, I am a musician.

A volte succede che noi sappiamo molto di più dell’Italia che l’Italia di noi.
Sometimes it happens to be that we know a lot more about Italy than Italy knows about us.

Sono figlio di una famiglia di griot, che sono i conservatori delle culture popolari africane attraverso i racconti, attraverso la musica, attraverso l’arte in generale ognuno sviluppa una forma di comunicazione, di espressività. 
I am the son of a griot family, who are the repositories of African popular culture through stories, through music, through art in general, everyone develops a form of communication, of expression.

Raccontando agli altri, mi rendo conto, che raccontiamo anche a noi stessi. 
By telling others, I realize that we also tell ourselves.

Raccontiamo a noi stessi di noi, perché a volte può capitare che non ci conosciamo abbastanza.
We tell ourselves stories about ourselves, because sometimes it can happen that we do not know ourselves enough.

Highlights

Loro (Them) di Krzysztof Wodiczko. La performance con i droni in Parco Sempione a Milano Artribune

Spiccano il volo i droni parlanti di Wodiczko la Repubblica Milano

Krzysztof Wodiczko’s Drone Art in Milan CULTURE.PL

Krzysztof Wodiczko: “i rifugiati vivono in una specie di limbo, come creature familiari ed estranee allo stesso tempo” Finestre sull’Arte

Saturday, June 8, 2019 | 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Università Cattolica, 1 Largo Gemelli, Milano, MI, Italia 

Loro/Them: A conversation on immigration and marginalization on the occasion of the first public intervention by Krzysztof Wodiczko in Milan. Featuring: Krzysztof Wodiczko, Micaela Martegani, Bruno Milone, professor di Sociology of Immigration, Università degli Studi, Milano, Gabi Scardi, independent curator. The conference is moderated by Francesco Tedeschi, professor of contemporary art, Università Cattolica, Milano. This event is held in Italian.

Fri, March 22, 2019 | 7:00 PM
Nctm Studio Legale, Via Agnello, 12, Milano, MI, Italia

Arte e Diritti (Art & Rights) | Krzysztof Wodiczko, Loro (Them)

Wodiczko coniuga l’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie ad un’attenzione puntuale verso le situazioni di emarginazione sociale e politica. Impegnandosi in prima persona, l’artista cerca di rendere manifeste vite e storie altrimenti taciute, creando piattaforme comuni. La sua attenzione si concentra spesso su monumenti ed edifici storici, rileggendone il portato storico in chiave critica, per poi trasformarli in luoghi di incontro e dialogo.

Wodiczko combines the use of new technologies with timely attention to situations of social and political marginalization. The artist tries to manifest the lives and stories, otherwise untold, creating common platforms. He often focuses his attention on monuments and historical buildings, critically rewriting their historical significance, and transforming them into places for meeting and dialogue.

This event is held in Italian and English with translation.

Mon, April 9, 2018 6:30-8:00 PM
School of Visual Arts 133/141 West 21st Street

More Art + SVA’s BFA Visual & Critical Studies presents a talk on research and artistic approaches to using technologies such as drones and ubiquitous cameras. This panel at SVA will include artists discussion with artists Krzysztof Wodiczko (Harvard), Nadav Assor (Connecticut College) and drone expert Andy Trench. The talk will be led by SVA faculty and More Art Executive Director Micaela Martegani.

SUPPORTERS

Loro (Them) and accompanied public programs are produced in cooperation with The Adam Mickiewicz Institute and supported in part by nctm e l’arte a project by Nctm Studio Legale, Galerie Lelong, Fondazione Stelline, Università Cattolica, with the patronage of the City of Milano in partnership with Assessorato alla Cultura and Assessorato alle Politiche Sociali (Department of Culture and Department of Social Services), and generous individual donations. Loro (Them) is part of Milan Photo Week 2019.

PRODUCTION PARTNERS

Loro (Them) is made possible through concept design and prototyping by Andy Trench of Vertspec with creative advisement by Nadav Assor (Providence, Rhode Island). Technical support by CINEFLY (Turnin, Italy). Special thanks to AVIOSONIC Space Tech.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

To produce this complex work, More Art engaged with Fondazione Casa della Carità, a social institution which provides housing, counseling, medical services, occupational mentorship, cultural initiatives, and legal aide programs to the homeless, roma people, and immigrants living in informal settlements or irregular camps in the outskirts of Milan.