On April 26, in Piazza del Duomo a Florenceone hundred and fifty Italian artists will create a spectacular and monumental carpet of flowers and other natural materials which will bear the title: “The wonders of Italian UNESCO, in an entirely ephemeral dream”.
Italian, Catalan and Maltese inflorators, upholsterers and installers will enhance the beauty and uniqueness of the UNESCO heritage sites in Italy, with a work that also marks the particular historical moment in which “The art of creating carpets of flowers and other natural materials” has presented its candidacy for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Florence, which among Italian cities represents one of the richest in works of art, will therefore experience, next weekend, starting from Friday 26th, an extraordinary moment of synthesis between beauties. From 9 am the alfombristas from twelve Italian cities and those from Catalonia and Malta will create, before the eyes of all visitors, a unique and original work, using flowers, sawdust, shavings, salt, sand, vegetables, etc., and which will show the greatness and infinite expressive possibilities of this ephemeral art.
The CulturArte Noto Association, headed by its president Valentina Mammana, planned and directed the realization of this event, with the precious collaboration of the Camaiore Sawdust Carpet Associations, Infiorata Montefiore dell’Aso and Truciolinarte of Torricella Sicura and the participation of the inflorators, upholsterers and installers of Noto, Camaiore, Montefiore dell’AsoBolsena, Torricella Sicura, Gerano, Acireale, Pachino, Guspini, Genzano, Portopalo, Taurianova and also of the alfombristas of Gozo (Malta) and Catalonia (Spain).
This carpet, in fact, is part of the activities that are being developed in Italy, Spain and Malta as part of the Fower Carpets Arts project, selected by the European Commission within the Creative Europe cultural program. And it confirms the extraordinary ability of this art to be as ephemeral as it is solid in values and principles, those of friendship, respect, mutual help which contribute to the birth of lasting bonds.
What will be the largest carpet of flowers ever seen in the city of Florence will remain on display on the 26th and 27th and then disappear, leaving its ephemeral beauty in the memory of all those who contemplate it.
Description of work:
The work intends to immerse the observer among the wonders of Italy, from whatever perspective it is seen. In particular, it takes up the major works of art in the territories annexed to the places where the carpet art of the Associations belonging to CIDAE (Coordinadora Internacional de Entidades de Alfombristas de Arte Efimero) is practiced, with its thousand facets. The shape that encloses it is a reference to the birth of the Renaissance in Florence, more precisely to the panels distributed over one of the doors of the baptistery of San Giovanni. It was created thanks to the outcome of a competition announced in 1401 by the art of Calìmala, where the competitors had to represent the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac, as a model for all the other scenes.
At the center of the large work the UNESCO symbol emerges, while the Florentine lily is repeated at the top of the square. The four circles that make up the geometry contain artistic elements of one or more regions.
The first circumference is dedicated to Tuscany and the Marche, taking up the bold face of Michelangelo’s David, the Gothic rose window of the marvelous cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and one of the towers of the ducal palace of Urbino, enclosed by the typical geometric decorations of the Gothic Tuscan.
The second circumference is dedicated to Lazio, with the Roman Colosseum, and the details of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli and the fountain of San Sebastiano in Genzano, framed by a geometric ornament, inspired by the decorations in the mosaics of the Roman domus.
Another circle dedicated instead to Calabria, with one of the magnificent Riace bronzes, to Sardinia with one of the many nuraghi, and the decoration all around inspired by the mosaics of Teramo in Abruzzo.
Finally, a last circle dedicated to our Sicily, with elements that represent it in its entirety: the trinacria with its magnetic gaze, positioned at the center of the wheel of a typical Sicilian cart, sumptuous with its bright colors and the thousand types of ornament, with a hint to the baroque architectural decorations of Noto.
The participants:
All the artists and creators who will meet in Florence to create this magnificent carpet of flowers belong to associations of inflorators, upholsterers and installers who are part of CIDAE (Coordinadora Internacional de Entidades de Alfombristas de Arte Efimero). They will be joined by the Alfombristas of Gozo (Malta) and Catalonia (Spain), partners of the project.
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Culturarte Noto ODV Association
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Montefiore Dell’Aso Infiorata Association
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Camaiore Sawing Carpet Association
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Bolsena Infioratori Association
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Artistic Flower Festivals Association Torricella Sicura
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Gerano Infioratori Group Association
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Coriandolata Acireale Cultural Association
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Pachino Vegetable Association
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Santa Maria Guspini Flower Decorators Association
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Association of the Academy of Infioratori Masters of Genzano in Rome
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Portopalo Insabbia Association
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Infiorata Taurianova nel Cuore Association
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Matteo Raeli Noto Infioratori Association
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Federació Catalana De Catifaires
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Express yourselves Malta
The European project
“Flower Carpets Art” is a project that is part of CREATIVE EUROPE, the main program of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION in support of the cultural and creative sectors, developed by the CulturArte Noto Association (Italy – Sicily), by the Federació Catalana d’Entitats Catifaires (Spain – Catalonia), and by the Municipality of Gharb (Malta – Gozo) throughout 2023 and 2024. This project brings the art of creating carpets of flowers and other natural elements to several European countries, in an attempt to overcome the barrier of fragmentation of small groups and associations and to create tools that facilitate and promote common work that allows the sharing of knowledge and experiences.
With this monumental carpet, the CulturArte Association of Noto wants to show the beauty of the creation of ephemeral artistic carpets, but above all it wants to send a message that is linked to the philosophy of the Alfombristas world: different realities and materials can coexist together, so that a dream becomes reality only when it is shared!
