Two days full of initiatives will be held on 1st and 2nd May at the Pionta park in Arezzo. “Vivi il Pionta” is proposed as an event of celebration and urban social regeneration of the park, a place rich in historical, cultural and social memories for the city of Arezzo, which needs to regain a positive identity.
The project developed by the network of the Genius loci, memory, identity project is thus enriched with a new initiative: creating a cultural garrison in the Pionta Park (GEM), led by the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (Dispoc) of the University of Siena in the Arezzo office and the partners ISIA Florence and Chille de la balanza of Florence, thanks to a new collaboration with the Sosta Palmizi Association, Semilita Atelier and other local associations.
For the University of Siena the project was carried out by the research team composed of Francesca Bianchi, Sebastiano Roberto, Carlo Orefice, Mario Giampaolo and Gozde Yildiz of the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences.
On the first day “Pionta in festa”, which will be held Wednesday 1st May, performances are planned by the cultural and social associations that operate in the neighborhood and have been organizing events in the Park for some time. Numerous activities are scheduled from 10.30am to 7pm, organized by, among others, Semillita Atelier and Apid Toscana. The following will be held: a Geodance workshop (DanceMovement Therapy in nature), an ethnobotanical walk organized by Segni concrete, a solidarity snack organized by the Coop Members Section in collaboration with the bar of the Cas Colle del Pionta social aggregation centre, ad hoc coordinated narrations by the Donne Insieme e Segni Concreti Association and the traveling performance by Sosta Palmizi with the Turin collective Cifra Danzateatro. The activities will be carried out with the support of Cas Colle del Pionta, together with the Committee for the rebirth of Pionta, already promoter of important events for the Park, such as the Viva il Pionta! last June.
The second day, Thursday 2 May, is instead dedicated to the conference “The meaning of benches. Memory and new sociality in contemporary historical parks”, curated by the GEM research team, which will be held from 9.15 am to 5 pm in Room 1 and in the Theater Room of the Palazzina Donne of the university building (viale Cittadini 33), on the theme of regeneration and enhancement of public spaces. Through a targeted reflection on benches as a metaphor for the quality of urban environments, it will be possible to question the practices of consumption and usurpation of public space and the role that historic parks such as Pionta can play in open contrast. Benches and public spaces invite citizens to pause, to introspect, to critical reflection but also to a renewed sociality, offering free zones which are urgently needed today.
The conference will open, at 9.15 am, with greetings from the director of Dispoc Cristina Capineri, from the deputy mayor of the Municipality of Arezzo Lucia Tanti and from the councilor for urban planning Francesca Lucherini and from Antonella Valeri, administrative director of the USL Tuscany South East. The works will be introduced by Francesca Bianchi (GEM Project scientific contact) and Sebastiano Roberto (GEM Project team). This will be followed by a round table moderated by Carlo Orefice (Progetto Gem team) with interventions by Cristina Capineri and Giacomo Maria Salerno, Sebastiano Benasso and Bianca Solari (University of Genoa), Claudio Ascoli (Chille de la balanza Florence) and Maurizio Galluzzo (Isia Florence) .
The IperBosco performances by Sosta Palmizi are scheduled for 12pm and 2.30pm, in double repeats, which will see the 6 performers of the CIFRA Danzateatro company inhabit the spaces of the Park with a traveling show.
The program will continue at 2.30 pm with the award ceremony of the students of the “Piero della Francesca” art high school who participated in the contest “Re-imagining the benches of the Pionta Park in Arezzo” and the inauguration of the “sound bench” with the presentation of the Project “Chimere – Places of Con-Tatto” curated by Mario Giampaolo and Gozde Yildiz (Progetto Gem team) and Sara Iaccino, Serena Grazia and Irene Tarateta (Isia Florence).
The complete program of initiatives is published on the University website: www.unisi.it/unisilife/eventi/vivi-pionta.
