Vitrea te Fucinus Unda
The video "Vitrea te Fucinus Unda" takes its title from a phrase by Virgil, from the Aeneid, signifying the desire to root itself in a very ancient history. It is the result of complex research work on historical sources and images concerning Lake Fucino, in inland Abruzzo, and how it has changed, the radical transformation of an environment—and consequently of the landscape—and the way humans have lived and managed this transformation, which has allowed it to present itself to us as one of the most fertile lands in Europe through complex works of anthropization and engineering. The goal was to give a territory a thread connecting a removed and erased history to the present. The entire video was made with the help of artificial intelligences, including MidJourney, which enabled the reconstruction of damaged ancient images (including rare photographs of the Lake, now preserved in the Palazzo Torlonia in Avezzano) and then animated with RunwayML, with the intent of bringing back to life landscapes and the now-extinct "seafaring peoples" of the Marsi.
It tells a story, that of the drained Lake Fucino and the consequent "emergence" of a vast cultivable land, but also of the wound inflicted by the trauma of a paradigm shift, of birth and redemption, expressed through ancient historical images reworked with technology—AI—which itself represents a transition, a paradigm shift.
Alessandra Condello
Alessandra Condello, of Abruzzese origin, is an architect and a transmedia and multimedia artist whose artistic practice focuses on the interaction between humans and their surrounding environment. Her artistic research fully explores this interaction, examining the relationship between natural forms, the social environment, folklore, and technology, with particular attention to posthuman evolution. Alessandra investigates how humans relate to nature, not only as observers but as integral parts of it, transforming natural and post-natural elements into wearable art and utopian spaces-environments.
Her work is characterized by a deep sensitivity towards nature's micro-codes, which are reinterpreted and incorporated into her artistic and architectural projects. She is fascinated by nature's ability to influence human forms and structures, creating a continuous dialogue between the natural and built environments.
Alessandra Condello embraces a futuristic vision in which technology and tradition merge to create new cultural and sensory experiences. Her projects often integrate interactive and digital components, transforming folklore and local traditions into contemporary narratives that challenge and redefine the concept of cultural identity in the digital age.
Through her art, she invites the audience to reflect on their connection with the natural world and to consider the possibilities of a future where humans and technology coexist in harmony with the environment. Her artistic practice is a celebration of evolution and transformation, where nature, culture, and technology intertwine to create new forms of expression and interaction.