Con-vivere carrara festival 2023

The 2023 edition of con-vivere Carrara Festival, promoted by the Cassa di Risparmio di Carrara Foundation, will be held from 7 to 10 September. The festival had Remo Bodei as its founder and curator for fourteen editions. Since 2020, the festival has made use of the collaboration of a high-profile scientific consultant, chosen each year on the basis of the theme: Chiara Saraceno curated the "rights" edition, Telmo Pievani the 2021 program dedicated to "care", Maurizio Ferraris l 2022 edition on "traces".

Con-vivere this year, for its eighteenth edition, will address the theme of "humanity" with the scientific supervision of Laura Boella. The direction of the Festival is, as in previous years, by Emanuela Mazzi.

More than twenty speech meetings between conferences, dialogues and debates, six shows and over thirty side events including cooking workshops, children's area, exhibitions, meetings, themed walks to discover the area, cooking proposals in the restaurants of the center, will make up the program of this edition. Stefano Massini, Alessandro Bergonzoni, Stefano Mancuso, Roberto Cingolani, Maurizio Ferraris, Telmo Pievani, Chiara Saraceno, are some of the guests of this edition. And then again the music of Tiromancino, the Orchestraccia and the talented Frida Bollani Magoni; a tribute event to Bob Dylan and a show dedicated to the themes of climate change with Elisa Palazzi and Stefano Taddia.

The theme

What makes us human? What makes our actions human? To understand the general horizon of human experience, between nature and culture, one cannot ignore the link with others.

We must risk inhabiting the world together with others and therefore risk being human.

Defining the contours of the human means dealing with inequalities and inequities, with forces that are constantly poised between humanity and inhumanity.

Today, then, the effects of human activity have become so powerful as to question the survival not only of the species itself but also of the entire planet. Starting from the interdependence that now affects people's daily lives between the natural environment and the technosphere, humanity can be practiced to answer heavy questions: growth without limits that produces inequality and discrimination, what legacy will it leave to future generations? Rights and duties, freedom and responsibility come into play in a space that involves all living beings in an unprecedented way.

Word encounters

The speakers of the speech meetings will each address a topic related to the theme of the festival, to investigate, through conferences and dialogues for two voices, the border between humanity and inhumanity, the "places" where today our human beings enter into fibrillation, the experiences through which we can define the contours of life on this planet.

The scientific curator, Laura Boella, will open the meetings of con-vivere 2023 on Thursday 7 September with "A difficult humanism".

The speech meetings will investigate four main thematic tracks that outline the contours of the human condition, with a final point aimed at reflecting on future scenarios:

1) Acting and suffering represent the first dimension of the experience of every human being who enters into relationship with others and with the world around him starting from his body and from feeling about him. Anna Donise will be entrusted with the keyword "Empathy".

We are told that we are emotional illiterates, and Stefano Massini will start from here on a profound, and at the same time ironic, journey into the labyrinth of our feeling and feeling, investigating "The alphabet of emotions".

We can also educate our feelings by turning to other living species. With Stefano Mancuso we will discuss how human beings are part of nature and not superior to it.

Man inevitably acts and suffers within a dimension of plurality that has been constitutive of him since his origins, as Telmo Pievani will show us.

Being there for each other comes into play, Chiara Saraceno will underline, taking care and "Cultivating humanity" as education in the recognition of one's own and others' humanity.

Technological development today poses further crucial questions for a reflection on the human dimension. Maurizio Ferraris will talk about it with "The polytechnic animal", Nello Cristianini who will instead reflect on "Artificial Intelligence", Fiorella Battaglia and Giuseppe Di Vetta who will show us the unprecedented possibilities of surveillance of the human mind and will talk.

  2) With the second path of reflection, life and freedom, we will at the same time make incursions into the past and insights aimed instead at current events. Life and freedom are the two decisive values for human existence: life refers to the physical dimension, freedom to the moral and political one, but one is defended so that the other is also safeguarded and vice versa.

We will go to the ancient world with the historians Silvia Romani and Giulia Sissa, while the history of the twentieth century, and in particular the Second World War and the Resistance, will be the subject of the meeting with Agnese Pini, director of QN Quotidiano Nazionale.

We will therefore look at current events, and in particular at some "places" where humanity and inhumanity are strongly in the balance: the historian Giulia Lami with "Between history and war" will tell us about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict; with the sociologist Maurizio Ambrosini we will talk about the issue of "Migrants"; Rayhana Tabrizi and Yagoub Kibeida will talk together with Gabriela Jacomellasu "Life and freedom", looking at contexts in which the issue of defending these rights is hot and crucial for understanding current events and possible future developments.

Luciana Delle Donne (Made in prison project) and Mireya Carmen Cannata (of Teatro Necessario Genova) will bring the living experience of projects developed within prison houses, an event organized in collaboration with Acri.

The ideal closure of this thematic track will be the lectio by Alessandro Bergonzoni on the theme "Human rights", an event that he sees as the Main Sponsor of Bper Banca.

3) Human languages, represents the third thematic track: the human being is capable of expressing his being according to multiple languages. We will investigate some of them, to then leave room, through the program of shows and the creative one, for music, art and images so that they directly express the human in its facets and contradictions.

Human beings are first and foremost narrating and narrated animals: telling stories is inevitable, practically necessary. The sociolinguist Vera Gheno will attempt a reflection on language today, she will echo the reflection, this time focused on poetry, by Antonella Anedda, poet and essayist.

The language of art, especially contemporary art, will be presented by the art critic and historian Angelo Capasso, as part of a meeting organized in collaboration with the Carrara Academy of Fine Arts.

 4) The last thematic track is aimed at future scenarios. There are some key interconnected questions to reflect on the future of human life on the planet: these concern the possibility of sustainable development both on an economic and civil level, which overcomes global imbalances and inequalities. Speakers: Roberto Cingolani with "Rewrite the future", Mauro Magatti and Chiara Giaccardi will discuss the possibility of thinking about a "civil economy" through the concept of "supersociety"; Elisa Palazzi and Federico Taddia in the conference show "Bello Mondo" created in collaboration with the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea, will focus on the theme of climate change and its effects on the seas.

The shows

The program of con-vivere Carrara Festival, alongside the "word" encounters, will present six shows of great interest, which will offer a rich and varied itinerary that will also cross several musical genres: jazz, opera, popular music and light.

Thursday 7 September we will listen to Frida Bollani Magoni, pianist and singer who has experienced in recent years a real climb towards success that has led her to be recognized for her talent but above all as a living demonstration of a value that everyone should make concrete: disability must not prevent anyone from realizing their dreams. The first evening of the festival will end in the spirit of celebration with the Fantomatick Orchestra in "The voice of the earth": the energy and vitality of its musicians give rise to a unique musical show that manages to involve the public not only in listening, but also to dance and movement.

Friday 8 September will be the turn of opera with the concert "And in one kiss and hug all the people love" organized by the Circle "Friends of opera A. Mercuriali".

The central show of the second evening will be "A man called Bob Dylan": written and interpreted by the journalist, writer and musician Ezio Guaitamacchi, the show will feature the Tenco award-winning singer-songwriter Davide Van De Sfroos, who in the unprecedented triple role of musician, actor and painter, will take on the role of Bob Neuwirth, singer-songwriter friend of Dylan, while Andrea Mirò, musical director of the show, will interpret the figure of Joan Baez with the talented vocalist Brunella Boschetti. Bob Dylan, a composer attentive to social and existential issues, has placed the sense of the human condition and man's incapacity to definitively and totally repudiate any type of war at the center of his poetry. The Main Sponsor of the event will be The Italian Sea Group.

The music of the third evening of the festival, on 9 September, will be dedicated to celebration, popular singing and dancing. The protagonist will be the Orchestraccia, a group of folk-rock music inspired by Roman tradition and culture.

The closing of the festival will be dedicated on September 10 to the great Italian singer-songwriter music. This year the Tiromancino group will be the protagonist, one of the most recognizable bands in the panorama of Italian song since their first album, dated 1992. The musical group has always been led by Federico Zampaglione, its founder and the only one to be always present in the various formations changed in these 30 years of career. Also this year, the main event of the festival will be realized thanks to the contribution of a group of companies of the Port of Carrara (FHP Holding Portuale, MDC Terminal, San Colombano, Grendi, T-Bulk, Ornic, Agemar, De Gasperis, Dusty , simp).

The creative program

Coming to Carrara in the days of co-existing means immersing yourself in a new atmosphere, made up of opportunities for reflection and in-depth study, but also of celebration and creativity aimed at everyone, with a rich proposal for walks and guided tours in the historic center curated by various local associations, some of which are linked to the world of volunteering, schools (the latter in collaboration with the Provincial School Office of Lucca and Massa Carrara) and cooking workshops. There will be many activities in the children's area, ranging from readings to creative workshops and moments of study and discovery of science and technology.

Among the interactive activities of the programme, the Human library project of the “Ludovici” Civic Library of Carrara, which will take place on Friday 8 September in Piazza Gramsci, and the theater workshop, created in collaboration with Unicoop Tirreno, entitled “Diritti… it's a long story” (September 8-9) curated by Alessandra Evangelisti and Federica Chiusole.

Among the scheduled meetings, on 10 September the aspect of health will be taken into consideration, with an in-depth analysis of our driving organ, the Heart, in collaboration with Nausicaa S.p.A.

Among the exhibitions, on Thursday 7 September, Noocene, curated by Silvia Vannacci, will be inaugurated. The exhibition project represents the second appointment in a cycle of exhibitions organized by the Cassa di Risparmio di Carrara Foundation which provides for the entry of the works of artists under 35 into its collection; a project that aims to enhance the younger artists to offer their contemporary artistic vision to the public heritage. The exhibition will be organized in collaboration with the Carrara Academy of Fine Arts and will also include the works of some students on display.

As always, various appointments, also organized in collaboration with the Municipal Administration, will offer a glimpse of the artistic and cultural heritage of Carrara: meetings, walks and guided tours designed and proposed following the cut offered by the theme of this edition. There will also be free admission to the Civic Museums during the days of the festival.

Lucca Film Festival and con-vivere

Lucca Film Festival this year is committed to bringing cinema to some cities in Tuscany with the project "LFF under the stars" with the support of the North West Tuscany Chamber of Commerce. The partnership with con-vivere will make it possible to create a special film evening, enriched by the presentation and screening of a selected film, "Tropic of Violence" (Tropique de la Violence). The artistic direction of Lucca Effetto Cinema, a side event to the Lucca Film Festival, will instead organize, in collaboration with Confcommercio Lucca and Massa Carrara, some performances in the historic center, carefully staged, to pay homage to one or more films pertinent to the central theme of the demonstration.

Sponsors and partners

The festival is supported and promoted by a Committee for the con-vivere festival, made up of the Cassa di Risparmio di Carrara Foundation (lead institution), the Municipality of Carrara, the Carrara Academy of Fine Arts, the Marble Foundation and the North West Tuscany Chamber of Commerce

With the patronage of the Tuscany Region, the Province of Massa Carrara

With the contribution of: Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea Ports of La Spezia and Marina di Carrara

Premium supporter: FHP Holding port

Main Sponsors: BPER Banca, The Italian Sea Group

Midi Sponsors: Generali Assicurazioni, Cavatori Lorano Cooperative, Chean Srl

Sponsors: Cooperativa Cavatori Gioia, MaxMarmi, Companies of the port of Marina di Carrara (MDC Terminal, San Colombano Costruzioni SpA, Gruppo Grendi, T-Bulk, Ornic Nautica, Vittorio Bogazzi e Figli Spa, Piero De Gasperis & C. srl, Dusty Srl , Semp Srl)

Technical sponsor: Nausicaa, Erp, Fonteviva, Federalberghi Costa Apuana

Media partner: The Nation

All scheduled events have free admission

The events takes place: Centro Storico Carrara Via Verdi 7 54033 (MS)

Fondazione Progetti srl
Phone: +39 0585 55249
Visit the Event organizer website

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