Offendiicula is one of the winning projects of the SIAE, “Per chi crea”. The project is part of the artist’s wide spectrum of research and practice, concerning themes related to interdependence between individuals. In the case of Castrignano de’ Greci, sources have been meticulously collected through dialogues with locals, which lead to many levels that intertwine both traditions and rumors spread or passed on via personal and intimate memories. Which are the tales or traditions connected to this place that have remained in the collective memory? Which, instead, interweave your personal memory? These are some of the questions that the artist asked to some residents of Castrignano.
The formalization of the investigation carried on by the artist, is a work composed of a series of broken pieces of glass, painted or engraved, and juxtaposed at certain points to clearly convey the correspondence of this dual polarity, both intimate and collective, as an expression of reality and narration at the same time.
The glass pieces, supported by a base of Lecce stone, are ultimately arranged as deterrents for thieves and birds, characteristic of Apulian houses. The work is in fact inspired by the practice of offendicula: devices used to prevent or hinder unauthorized access by outsiders to private property or to protect buildings and/or furniture, fully recognized by the Italian legal system.
The project is part of an artistic research that began in 2023 in a town near Castrignano, Ostuni. The work is initially inspired by functional tools, such as offendicula, but also draws references from literature, particularly in the works of Montale. From a conceptual perspective, the research focuses on motherhood and, more broadly, on the interdependence between individuals. The methodology of this series of works involves weaving together multiple layers of meaning, drawing from sources in various contexts. I collaborated with the local community to learn about the region’s oral traditions, gaining access to a shared historical memory, while also gathering material for creating the images. The result is a layering of ideas, stories and references that, rather than offering a single meaning, reflects the complexity of a place and of the narratives that run through it.
In the work for Castrignano, I wanted to take a step forward, or perhaps a step “inside” the heart of the community. It was essential for me to establish direct contact with the community’s representatives and catalysts, closely observing the relationships that unite them, the shared stories, and the collective dynamics that sometimes divide them. During this process, among other things, I was given a book written by several people during a summer camp organized by Isola del Sapere, a Castrignano organization that works with local children. It’s a coming-of-age story of a young girl and her deep relationship with her grandmother. This story, which weaves together magical and real places, blending familiar and surreal dimensions, has organically become part of the work’s imagery. I asked Castrignano’s residents to send me photos of grandparents with their grandchildren. In the work, their faces will be overlayed on glass, but what interests me most is the gap between the two, the empty space between the images. In that transparent, almost invisible space, lies the silent role of the mother.
Another step “inside” Castrignano was the choice of location for the installation. The headquarters of Ramdom (Kora), now situated in the center of the town, is a space familiar to many, yet shrouded in rumors, such as the story of the last Baron de Gualtieri, remembered in popular memory as a wicked and stingy man, who died of an illness while, in contempt for the community, relieved himself from his balcony during the Corpus Domini procession; and legends, such as the tale of its founding, which claims its center was established by Minos, son of Zeus. It’s a local museum, but it’s also a hub for international artistic practices. Within this context, I wanted to introduce the concept of offendicula: a defensive device that, at the same time, embodies a form of punishment. There is something profoundly sad and violent in this object, which recalls a private dimension but also a universal condition (see the poetry excerpt below). Adding engravings on the glass pieces that compose the work means inserting new characters into this complex system and weaving in local stories, which actively participate in the creative process, from conception to realization. This puzzle of approaches, images, and references is not intended to have a definitive synthesis, it is simply a suggestion.
[…] E andando nel sole che abbaglia
sentire con triste meraviglia
com’è tutta la vita e il suo travaglio
in questo seguitare una muraglia
che ha in cima cocci aguzzi di bottiglia.
Eugenio Montale “Meriggiare pallido e assorto”
Some time indeed passed between the collection of sources and the beginning of the recordings, allowing the information to pile up. Now, looking back on the process, I realize that the images spread out around three main thematic centers, rounded on the concept of syncretism.
The first is the syncretism between the worship of Isis and that of the Virgin Mary: different religions and places, yet with numerous points of connection. This theme actually emerged in Kora, while participating in the reading group you host… Cultural and religious syncretism is a process in which elements from different traditions, beliefs, and practices blend to create new forms of spiritual or cultural expression. This phenomenon often occurs in contexts of contact or conflict between civilizations, where differences are not necessarily erased but blend, bringing something new to life.
In the case of religions, syncretism can manifest itself through the overlapping of divine figures, rites, or symbols from various faiths, creating common ground for different communities. A classic example of religious syncretism is precisely the association between the worship of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of fertility and motherhood, and that of the Virgin Mary in the Christian tradition. Although they belong to very different cultural and religious contexts, both figures represent motherhood, protection, and unconditional love.
In the spread of Christianity, particularly in Mediterranean regions where the worship of Isis was already common, an overlap between the two figures can be observed: iconographic representations of Mary often incorporated symbolic elements typical of Isis, such as the sacred motherhood and the connection with the divine child. This syncretism not only facilitated the transition between the two faiths but also created a conceptual bridge between two seemingly distant worldviews, exemplifying how traditions can interact without erasing each other. This aspect struck me especially, as it touches themes that are close to those you explore with Kora.
The second thematic nucleus concerns agricultural grafting practices, which I found to be related to the concept of syncretism, not as much in content as in method. Just as grafting combines different yet familiar elements, syncretism allows the blending of cultures and practices.
Finally, there is the theme of grandparent-grandchild pairs, with figures engraved on both sides of the glass, referencing the mother as the central figure, the missing figure that silently lies between the two engravings. It is present in the similarities, in the differences and at the very core of the bond itself. In this case, I tried to reflect on how syncretism operates on points of contact between distant things without reducing them to rigid categories or excessive simplifications.
Offendicula is a project by Gaia di Lorenzo produced by Ramdom with the support of MIC and SIAE as a part of the “Per Chi Crea” project.