Lara Bellatalla con Myriam Colotti, Maristella Ferraiuolo e Maria Teresa Marongiu – Umwelt

The work analyzes and addresses the concept of “Umwelt”, a German term introduced by Jakob Johann von Uexküll that defines the environment-world in which every animal lives in a self-contained and exclusive manner. Similarly, it explores the concept of Involuntary Art, according to which even what is dictated by chance or by a sudden combination of unpremeditated situations or objects is art; indeed, it is precisely in the gaze that the landscape is constructed. The project aligns with the idea that the environment-world, the point of view, or what the animal sees is not definitively separate from and exclusive to the animal itself, but rather how what we, as humans, do not see and do not experience is essentially magical and open to inquiry, as we often ignore the complex web of organisms and ecosystems in which we are embedded. The magic, the unknown, and the fascination of an unconsidered gaze are thus analyzed and highlighted. Visually, the work unfolds through five videos created using 3D scans of various locations combined with graphic reinterpretation to render the animal’s perspective; each video examines a specific animal: Bee, Cat, Owl, and Mouse.