>>> Creative development seminars
Lecture
Space in pictorial representations is usually reduced to a Cartesian geometrical phenomenon, stripping it of its deeper meanings. Yet the space of representation is extremely complex, and the placement of elements within it, whether in two or three dimensions, allegorically expresses the creator's inner state. It is a complex symbolic and allegorical system, spatially organised in relation to the artist's energetic system. The shape of this space and the organisation of its contents form part of a language translating inner impulses, which are organised not only in space but also in time. Every space depicts a span of time, greater or smaller, extending in all directions: past, present and future.
Workshop
We will study the meaning and value of arranging different elements on a surface. The surface may represent a primarily two-dimensional space, mainly for decorative purposes, or may suggest a third dimension, creating an inner space within the work, as though it were a parallel world resembling our own.
In both cases we work within a space, arranging forms and their associated colours like words and sentences in a discourse, interacting with one another.
Just as discourse has syntax, there is a grammar of forms and colours. We believe there is a language that has not been rationally codified, yet is extraordinarily profound and reaches beyond cultural boundaries. All children share this language while discovering form in space; it subsequently develops according to cultural environments and individual characteristics.
During the workshop we will analyse paintings and drawings produced by participants.
Workshop topics
Who is it for?
All artists who work with space—painters, draughtspeople, illustrators, comic artists, photographers, choreographers and directors—and wish to understand and experiment with this spatial interpretation. Maximum number of participants: 15.
Duration
The workshop lasts a total of 16 hours over Saturday and Sunday, plus a two-hour lecture on Friday evening.
Cost
The cost of each workshop is to be agreed with those interested.
Download workshop information sheet (PDF, Italian)
Lecture preview
Space as Symbol and Allegory
In everyday life we use spatial words such as high, low, deep, flat and sideways to describe situations or concepts that are not ordinarily spatial. We say that someone is “deep”, that music is “high” or “low”, or that we feel “flat” or “open”. In all these cases, space is not merely a Cartesian or geometrical phenomenon: it is closely related to values and inner states.
A depressed person withdraws and contracts, whereas a cheerful person opens up and expands. We locate the past behind and below us, the future slightly above and ahead, and unexpressed aspirations deep within ourselves.
In painting and drawing, as in all spatial arts—from comics and photography to cinema—we can recognise how the space of a closed form and its elements relate to our inner representations, which always take place within the space constituted by our bodies.