EU-ROPA
EU-ROPA è un progetto artistico dedicato ai vestiti, che rivestono e adornano i nostri corpi e al contempo spogliano altre persone di elementari diritti umani, impoverendo l’ambiente di risorse vitali.
EU-ROPA vuole stimolare una riflessione sul nostro stile di vita – attraverso le arti visive e performative – creando consapevolezza sulle condizioni di lavoro, favorendo l’empowerment dei lavoratori nel settore dell’abbigliamento.
Nell’Aprile 2013 il crollo di una fabbrica tessile in Bangladesh ci ha messo di fronte alla più grande catastrofe industriale dopo Bhopal, la peggiore nel settore dell’abbigliamento, con più di 1100 morti.
EU-ROPA è un progetto artistico che supporta la campagna Abiti Puliti
EU-ROPA is an artistic investigation about clothes - through the medium of performing and media arts – clothes that cover and smarten us up, give us identity and color, while depriving other people of basic human rights, and impoverishing the environment by their production.
In April 2013 the collapse of Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka, Bangladesh, put all of us in front of the world’s worst industrial disaster after Bhopal, and the worst ever in the garment sector, with more than 1100 victims. That was just the last of a long black list of accidents and violations, involving the most important global brands, revealing a system of exploitation of human and natural resources which is just the B-side of our western society. We cannot turn our heads as we are part of this society, and we are all probably dressing - or have probably dressed – some clothes that are the result of a fundamental injustice. We cannot turn our heads since the awareness about what we wear involves also awareness about what we are, as individuals or society, and what we appear to be.
Clothes are mostly the reason why we put ourselves in front of a mirror, so the project “EU-ROPA” aims to put us in front of a mirror at a deeper level; in front of our condition as western citizens, fostering reflection about our life style; in front of our condition as human beings, since it is very pregnant to compare clothes covering up our body with our body covering up our soul as a permanent yet transitory dress. And as dresses can mean slavery for some people, also our bodies can be a prison for ourselves, if we don’t get the way to freedom.
The project will be developed by four people: two dancers, a video artist and a musician melting together their artistic languages. The final goal of the artistic project is the production of a Theatre-dance performance in which two dancers on stage will interact between themselves, and within clothes. Video projections and music will accompany their performance on stage adding elements or landscapes for their expressive movements, and layers of meaning to their investigation.
The title of the project EU-ROPA is a straight reference to the meaning of it: the name of our continent shown as composed by EU, which in portugues means “I” (but also it is the acronyme of European Union), and ROPA, that in spanish means clothes. The subtitle “Io abito qui” in italian means “I live here” or “this is my address”; “abito” in italian means “dress”, as this word is contained in the english word “address”. “EU-ROPA” is an artistic project which aims to spread awareness about social injustice and working conditions in the global garment and sportswear industries, supporting the European Clean Clothes Campaign.
In April 2013 the collapse of Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka, Bangladesh, put all of us in front of the world’s worst industrial disaster after Bhopal, and the worst ever in the garment sector, with more than 1100 victims. That was just the last of a long black list of accidents and violations, involving the most important global brands, revealing a system of exploitation of human and natural resources which is just the B-side of our western society. We cannot turn our heads as we are part of this society, and we are all probably dressing - or have probably dressed – some clothes that are the result of a fundamental injustice. We cannot turn our heads since the awareness about what we wear involves also awareness about what we are, as individuals or society, and what we appear to be.
Clothes are mostly the reason why we put ourselves in front of a mirror, so the project “EU-ROPA” aims to put us in front of a mirror at a deeper level; in front of our condition as western citizens, fostering reflection about our life style; in front of our condition as human beings, since it is very pregnant to compare clothes covering up our body with our body covering up our soul as a permanent yet transitory dress. And as dresses can mean slavery for some people, also our bodies can be a prison for ourselves, if we don’t get the way to freedom.
The project will be developed by four people: two dancers, a video artist and a musician melting together their artistic languages. The final goal of the artistic project is the production of a Theatre-dance performance in which two dancers on stage will interact between themselves, and within clothes. Video projections and music will accompany their performance on stage adding elements or landscapes for their expressive movements, and layers of meaning to their investigation.
The title of the project EU-ROPA is a straight reference to the meaning of it: the name of our continent shown as composed by EU, which in portugues means “I” (but also it is the acronyme of European Union), and ROPA, that in spanish means clothes. The subtitle “Io abito qui” in italian means “I live here” or “this is my address”; “abito” in italian means “dress”, as this word is contained in the english word “address”. “EU-ROPA” is an artistic project which aims to spread awareness about social injustice and working conditions in the global garment and sportswear industries, supporting the European Clean Clothes Campaign.
production: Compañia Insomnia
music: Hernan Vives
drawings: Franco Sacchetti
Contact:
Gisela Fantacuzzi
gfantacuzzi@gmail.com
