La Scatola
An intermedia project by Manuela Barile and Rui Costa

“La Scatola” explores the notion of confinement using multiple approaches. Working on the border zone between the ‘I’ and the outside world, ‘La Scatola’ (“The Box”, in English) can be thought as a narrative device, that represents a diffuse space between the “inside” and the outside”, between the “I” and the “other”, in which multiple and sometimes opposite strength lines are present: sensitive manifestations of the incarcerated and/or protected body, distorted visions of the external world, anxiety, wishes and memories. We may define this zone in purely spatial terms (“forbidden zone”, “abyss”, “barrier”) but also in terms of bidirectional “energy fluxes” created by the sensorial and emotional projection of the incarcerated individuality into the outside world (pain, desire, resistance, impotence, etc.) and by the representation (idealized, distorted, diffuse) of the outside world in the mind and body of the incarcerated individual.

The several narrative devices to be used will be organized in order to create enigmatic situations, between the familiar and the weird (or distant). The images or objects to be used, in its simplicity and depuration, can be transformed in a mirror capable of facing the audience with their own memories and individual experiences.

The project is developed in multiple metamorphosis and presented in several interchangeable contexts: installations, performances, concerts (solos / duos), site-specific presentations and workshops.

Artistic Direction: Manuela Barile (Italy) and Rui Costa (Portugal)
Video Collaboration: Maile Colbert (USA)
Sound Collaboration: Mario Volpe (Italy)
Dramaturgic Collaboration: Bojana Bauer (Serbia)
Production Direction: Luís Costa
Artist Residencies: Nodar Guest Studio (Portugal) | MoKS (Estonia)

Funding: General Office of the Arts | Ministry of Culture, Portugal

Acknowledgments: Associação Cultural de Nodar (Portugal) | S. Pedro do Sul Municipality (Portugal) | Zoom – Associação Cultural (Portugal) | Amigos do Museu de Olaria de Barcelos (Portugal) | ZDB Gallery (Portugal) | MoKS (Estonia) | Vel-Net (Italy) | Villa Franchin (Italy) | Madcap Collective (Itália) | Città di Venezia (Italy) | MARCO – Contemporary Art Museum of Vigo (Spain) | Sinsal Collective (Spain) | MUSAC – Contemporary Art Museum of León (Spain) | Junta de Castilla y León – Consejeria de Cultura y Turismo (Spain) | Almazen. Serial Artist (Spain) | La Casa Encendida de Obra Social Caja Madrid (Spain) | Asociación Musicalibre (Spain) | Centro Huarte – Contemporary Art Centre of Navarra (Spain) | Presence Capitale (France) | Erratum (France)

Upcoming Presentations:

28 January 08, 8.30 p.m.
Manuela Barile
Concert for voice and sound objects
Festival Hurta Cordel 2008 – International Festival of Musical Improvisation
La Casa Encendida, Madrid (Spain)
http://www.lacasaencendida.es

5 and 6 February 08, 8.00 p.m.
Manuela Barile and Rui Costa
Intermedia installation-performance (5 Feb.) and intermedia concert for voice, electronics, sound objects and video (6 Feb.)
Almazen, Barcelona (Spain)

19 to 22 February 08, from 5.00 p.m. until 9.00 p.m.
Manuela Barile and Rui Costa
Workshop “La Scatola: The Amplified Expression of the Body”
A theoretical-practical workshop with the purpose of creating a multidisciplinary performance through collaborative processes and intersecting body, voice, physical-acoustic space and sensors as a way of amplifying their expressive possibilities.
A workshop for musicians, sound artists, performers, actors, either professionals or self-teaching, with interest in experimental and multidisciplinary artistic creation.
MUSAC – Contemporary Art Museum of León (Spain)
Applications to be received until 19 February 08
http://www.musac.es

29 February 08, 9.00 p.m.
Manuela Barile and Rui Costa
Intermedia concert for voice, electronics, sound objects and video
Villa Franchin, Mestre – Venice (Italy)
http://www.veneziagiovane.net

4 and 5 April 08, 9.00 p.m.
Manuela Barile and Rui Costa
Intermedia concert for voice, electronics, sound objects and video
Centro Huarte – Contemporary Arte Centre, Navarra (Spain)

Artistic Biographies:

Manuela Barile is an Italian vocal researcher and an interdisciplinary performer presently living in Portugal. Her artistic research is based on a project-oriented work that combines vocal sounds with different media (video, photography, installations, performance, concert-performance, drawing, writing). Her sound vocabulary was enriched through a series of studies and researches, around oriental and occidental vocal traditions, either made by herself or with teachers such as Amelia Cuni (Druphad) and Tran Quang Hai (Harmonic chant). Her CD, “Creature Sonore” was released in 2007 on Alg-a netlabel.

Rui Costa is a Portuguese sound artist from Lisbon, Portugal. He has been performing live for more than 10 years. Rui’s artistic expression favours the creation of intricate sonic textures through computer-based sound manipulation techniques and using as a source field recordings and live sampling of acoustical instruments. He developed several conceptual projects, presented in art galleries and concert spaces across Portugal, Spain and USA. As an example, it is worth mentioning the intermedia work “Nodar”, developed with Iñaki Ríos and premiered at the Musica Ex Machina festival, in Bilbao, Spain. His work has been published in several sound art compilations (Sirr, Crónica, No Type, Universe International, Mandorla).

+info:

http://www.manuelabarile.com
http://www.myspace.com/ruigcosta