A Glitch of Self exhibition exists on multiple dimensions, it is physical, it is digital, it is both.
A Glitch of Self mirrors our contemporary world, where the boundaries between physical and digital realities blur. The artworks on display at Istituto Marangoni Firenze can also be experienced in the digital realm of Istituto Marangoni’s Metaverse. The exhibition transcends the limitations of space and time, reflecting the dynamic nature of identity in the digital age.
The exhibition showcases the research of Multimedia Arts and Arts Curating graduates, which were accompanied by conceptual artist and Istituto Marangoni Firenze Mentor Andy Picci, who followed the students closely throughout their journey.
Please use the following guide to enter the A Glitch of Self multiverse!
Curatorial text
by Marines Salcedo Gutierrez with Sabrina Morales
In technological times, it is natural to speak of the human brain as software. We are all born with one, which consciously or not, is constantly updated, generating our identity along the lines of our beliefs and experiences. The system runs smoothly throughout our life. However, sometimes it slows down, it’s time for the routine check-up, or it crashes completely. We analyze the background of our systems, checking for viruses or newer updates. Yet sometimes it takes a glitch to go back to the basics, to understand ourselves. A Glitch of Self explores identity in our present time. It is about what makes us us, our understanding of ourselves. We were all born with software, and it is only natural for it to glitch. Yet, it is our responsibility to dive deep into our system and question what it is made of.
A Glitch of Self explores our present time, it exists in multiple dimensions as to epitomize the duality of physical vs digital. A Glitch of Self provides the opportunity to look into the artist’s inner world inside the digital realm of spatial.io, the physical halls of Istituto Marangoni Firenze, and the digital rooms of Istituto Marangoni Metaverse. The artworks were created for each space by Multimedia Arts graduates, unveiling each artist’s perception of identity from both an external and internal point of view.
A Glitch of Self encourages us to consider who we are, how we understand ourselves, and the continuous process of self-affirmation. We are all born with software, and it is entirely natural for it to experience glitches. The question is, will we embrace these glitches and use them as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves?
What is truly the difference between the complexities of software technologies and human nature?
In School
Even before you enter Istituto Marangoni Firenze, you are welcomed by sound, that’s where the wondering begins. The search for oneself is greatly connected to curiosity. Such curiosity is embodied by the presence of light and darkness in the space, symbolizing the processes of our mind. Each room will host both individual artworks of Multimedia Art graduates spread across the school spaces, accompanied by installations dedicated to the metaverse. Consequently, the audience can see the projections in the virtual world through VR headsets or computers.
Entrance and First Floor
1. Sofie Engelschiøn
Under the aurora, 2023
Sound, 3’; VR environment
Inspired by the stories about the northern lights, the work combines several sound elements to create a soundtrack that mixes the sounds of nature, birdsong, and wind together with echoes of the most common animals that are hunted, reindeer, elk, hare, wolf, and bear. This harmonious combination should jointly address both faiths. A sign of peace but also unrest.
The VR project has undergone several iterations, and the design has been modified to create a flatter landscape. The aim is to provide more space for the Aurora to unfold and create a sense of solitude in nature for the viewers. The existing elements such as trees will also be incorporated into the landscape.
2. Abraham Yael Pérez Mosqueda
TOTEM I-III, 2023
3-channel video HD, sound, 24’’ loop
“Totem: An object or being that is believed to have spiritual significance and values. Which tribes use to show future generations struggles and victories of their ancestors to take pride in their identity.”
The work depicts a humanoid form in various stages, mimicking human evolution diagrams, going from a fetal pose (TOTEM-I), to semi-upright (TOTEM-II) to jump position (TOTEM-III). Inviting the viewer to reflect on the evolution of life, making each state a “Totem” as a way to acknowledge both the adversities and the accomplishments necessary for ultimate personal realization. Life is a journey, a road that is bright and dark at the same time.
3. Flaminia Mattioli
Walk, 2023
video HD, 1’ loop
Walk addresses the act of walking inside every street, over every bridge, around every corner, inside life itself. A transhuman entity with a metallic epidermis walks confidently in an atmosphere populated by silent architecture. An atmosphere that might recall the metaphysical squares of Giorgio de Chirico. As it passes, the landscape falls apart, revealing itself as a mere ephemeral scenography.
GROUND FLOOR
4. Emma Maggiani
ho visto persone ballare, 2023
video HD, 8’29’’
The work is a collage of found online footage and sounds about humanity. Amidst the prevailing chaos, a powerful theme emerges—the profound role of dance as a transformative force. Installed in the School cafeteria, the work transforms the mundane use of this room into a space full of possibilities, as a club could do.
5. Jessica García Corral
The Multi-Diary of Interpersonal + Interdisciplinary Arts, 2023
mixed-media booklets made with recycled materials, 30 x 20 cm; video HD, 2’50’’
With this artwork, the artist transforms a private diary into an ongoing autobiographical and active investigation where the audience can witness alongside the author a transformation of identity through reveries drawn from the past two decades of her experiences and childhood memories.
The project is composed by a video documentation and a “multi-diary” with handwritten and sewn entries, poetic prose, single letters, and mere wordplay. Written in both English and Spanish, she alludes to her cultural background, where an oscillation between both first-person and third-person perspectives takes place; simultaneously embodying the roles of subject, spectator, and writer at once.
The work currently comprises eight separate pieces, which together create a “multi-diary.”
First Floor
6. Jessica García Corral
The Summer My Hair Started Falling, 2023
video HD, 4’44’’
This video essay mainly concerning the profound importance hair holds in the lives of women, stems from the artist’s personal experience with hair loss during the recent years, a period marked by significant emotional strain and apprehension. This experience motivated her to have intimate conversations with the women closest to her, sharing personal narratives and anecdotes.
Braiding, dyeing, retexturizing, and hiding hair can all embody personality, criminality, sensitivity, politics, and sexuality. Hair encapsulates memories and sentimental values, and each strand on a woman’s head tells a story regardless of age, culture, or background. Hair remains an indispensable and undeniable part of the girlhood experience.
7. A Glitch of Self spatial environment
Featuring the works of Francesco Agazio, Sofie Engelschiøn, Jessica García Corral, Girija Jhalani, Emma Maggiani, Flaminia Mattioli, Abraham Yael Pérez Mosqueda.
The spatial enviroment was designed by sconcu for Istitituto Marangoni Firenze.
A Glitch of Self provides the opportunity to delve into the artists’ inner world also through the digital realm of spatial.io. Throughout their journey, the students received the support and guidance from Andy Picci, conceptual artist and Mentor at Istituto Marangoni Firenze.
This digital universe is created as a parallel world where everything and anything is possible. It is a place where pixels become pathways, and data transforms into landscapes. As you enter through this judgmental gate, you may find yourself lost in a maze. Take your time to rest inside a nest while you meet your totemic guides. You will encounter lights that fly as flocks of molecules, and if you continue on this path, you will eventually reach the cold light of the aurora at the end of your journey.
As humans, we form our identity throughout time. Our identity belongs to us solely, and we have the power to decide who we share it with, and because of any reason whatsoever, we might choose to keep it hidden, choosing masks according to the occasion. The metaverse comes in providing a space where the masks are not needed, where we can be liberated from any of the reasons that may incite us to wear a mask. Who we are on the metaverse is entirely up to us.
Francesco Agazio, Under the spotlight, 2023
The work explores the concept of introspection, as it represents how society’s eye affected the artist life’s path years ago, having made feel him insecure, judged and inappropriate; old feelings from which he had the capacity to move away because now insecurity and inappropriateness have turned into confidence and happiness. “The work also shows how vulnerable I can be, since I have decided to put my old personality under the spotlights”.
Sofie Engelschiøn, Under the aurora, 2023
Inspired by the stories about the northern lights, the work combines several sound elements to create a soundtrack that mixes the sounds of nature, birdsong, and wind together with echoes of the most common animals that are hunted, reindeer, elk, hare, wolf and bear. This harmonious combination should jointly address both faiths. A sign of peace but also unrest.
Jessica García Corral, In-between pages, In-between brushes, 2023
The space of García is an expansion of the written multi-diary that exists in both physical and virtual forms. This diary underwent archival, 3D scanning, and modeling processes, resulting in the creation of an entirely new world, offering an immersive experience that surpasses traditional reading. Through this virtual room, viewers can navigate on a larger scale, exploring its interiors by walking through and over them. The installation is situated in a white-tiled bathroom, a space where the artist often seeks refuge and alters her appearance. The message on the floor, with words arranged like strands of hair, resembles a prayer in hopes of keeping the hair from falling and getting closer to deciphering her identity.
Girija Jhalani, Finding G Maze, 2023
Finding G maze serves as a metaphor for our life’s journey through a maze. It represents the idea that to truly understand life, we must actively engage with it instead of rushing ahead. By observing ourselves as avatars, we can experience the feeling of being lost and learn to pick up patterns that guide us toward our ultimate destination. However, in our quest to find the exit, we often overlook the signs along the way. The metaphor suggests that life follows a timeless path with recurring patterns, and it prompts us to reflect on what we should be looking for within this journey.
Emma Maggiani, US / INVISIBLE TIES, 2023
How is it possible to envision the void? Masses of matter are around us, we are immersed in them, but we don’t see anything. The artwork is a lens that gives the opportunity to embody the emptiness. US/INVISIBLE TIES is an invitation to look up contemplate a foggy landscape, and to acquire awareness that every molecule counts. Are they scaring you? Do you want to take part in this flock of particles? Take a breath. We are all part of the same organism.
Flaminia Mattioli, Standby, 2023
Standby talks about how much human beings tend to always give their best even if it means neglecting their basic needs. This approach often leads to exhaustion until the body collapses. And often it would be enough to just take a moment of standby. The artist invites you to allow yourself this moment of analysis, to regain yourself and accept your own timing in doing so.
The work consists of a cubic lantern, in which a transhuman figure is placed inside. Together the two elements symbolize a place of peace and calm able to bring out from the often hidden elements of the unconscious, necessary for one’s own knowledge.
Abraham Yael Pérez Mosqueda, TOTEM I-III, 2023
“Totem: An object or being that is believed to have spiritual significance and values. Which tribes use to show future generations struggles and victories of their ancestors to take pride in their identity.”
The work depicts a humanoid form in various stages, mimicking human evolution diagrams, going from a fetal pose (TOTEM-I), to semi-upright (TOTEM-II) to jump position (TOTEM-III). Inviting the viewer to reflect on the evolution of life, making each state a “Totem” as a way to acknowledge both the adversities and the accomplishments necessary for ultimate personal realization. Life is a journey, a road that is bright and dark at the same time.
INFO
A Glitch of Self
Istituto Marangoni Firenze Art Show 2023
Multimedia Arts Graduates
Francesco Agazio, Sofie Engelschiøn, Jessica García Corral, Girija Jhalani, Emma Maggiani, Flaminia Mattioli, Abraham Yael Pérez Mosqueda
Arts Curating Graduates
Sabrina Morales Echart, Marines Salcedo Gutierrez, Cosima Jiahui Zhu
13-16 November
Opening 13 November, 18.00-20.30
Opening Hours 14-16 November, 9.00-20.00
Istituto Marangoni Firenze, Via De’ Tornabuoni 17, Florence
A Glitch of Self on Istituto Marangoni Metaverse, starting from Monday, November 13 at 18.00 CET.
