Artopia: utopia e distopia nell'arte contemporanea. Dal 1989 ad oggi

La tesi esplora i temi dell'utopia e della distopia nella produzione artistica contemporanea, concentrandosi sul periodo storico che va dal 1989 ad oggi

Micronazioni. lo «Stato come opera d’arte»

This paper investigates the phenomenon of micronations: the term describes comprehensively a diverse constellation of entities that mimic (in whole or in part) the features of a sovereign nation – land, people and government – although lacking any recognition by the international community. Spurred in the nineteenth century by the debate on the nation-state, the phenomenon expands intensely during the Sixties and Seventies, reflecting the libertarian ideals of the time. Between twentieth and twenty-first century, the spread of the world wide web provoked an explosion of micronations in the virtual space. Utopia, fiction, entertainment, eccentricity, fraud and art come together in the atlas of micronations. The artistic side is at the core of this essay, which examines the states founded as an art project, reinterpreting the notion of «the State as a Work of Art» coined by Jacob Burckhardt. This idea will be outlined according to the historical development: from the roots in the avant-garde (the Free and Independent Republic of Washington Square by Marcel Duchamp, 1917) to its conceptual interpretations (Robert Fillou’s République Géniale, 1971 and Nutopia by Yoko Ono and John Lennon, 1973) until the most recent episodes, such as NSK State (1992) and AVL-Ville by Atelier Van Lieshout (2001).Il contributo si propone d’indagare il fenomeno delle micronazioni: questo termine si è affermato oggi come onnicomprensivo per descrivere una variegata costellazione di entità che mimano (in tutto o in parte) le caratteristiche di una nazione sovrana – territorio, popolo e governo – pur essendo prive del riconoscimento da parte della comunità internazionale. Originatosi nel XIX secolo nell’ambito della riflessione sul concetto di stato-nazione, il fenomeno assume una dimensione numericamente considerevole nei decenni Sessanta e Settanta del Novecento, quale riflesso degli ideali libertari dell’epoca. Un nuovo e più prossimo periodo di reviviscenza si colloca a cavallo fra XX e XXI secolo, quando la diffusione del web determina una vera e propria esplosione nello spazio virtuale. Nel vasto atlante delle micronazioni s’incontrano utopia, finzione, intrattenimento, eccentricità, frode, ma anche arte. Quest’ultimo versante è al centro dell’analisi del presente contributo, che esamina gli stati fondati come progetto artistico, rileggendo la nozione burckhardtiana di «Stato come opera d’arte». Il fenomeno delle micronazioni artistiche viene delineato nel suo sviluppo storico: dalle radici nelle avanguardie (la Repubblica Libera e Indipendente di Washington Square di Marcel Duchamp, 1917) alle sue declinazioni concettuali (République Géniale di Robert Fillou, 1971 e Nutopia di Yoko Ono e John Lennon, 1973) fino agli episodi più recenti, come lo Stato NSK (1992) e AVL-Ville di Atelier Van Lieshout (2001)

MEDICAL SCIENCE. GISSI-2: A factorial randomised trial of alteplase versus streptokinase and heparin versus no heparin among 12 490 patients with acute myocardial infarction

A multicentre, randomised, open trial with a 2 x 2 factorial design was conducted to compare the benefits and risks of two thrombolytic agents, streptokinase (SK, 1\ub75 MU infused intravenously over 30-60 min) and alteplase (tPA, 100 mg infused intravenously over 3 h) in patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to coronary care units within 6 h from onset of symptoms. The patients were also randomised to receive heparin (12 500 U subcutaneously twice daily until discharge from hospital, starting 12 h after beginning the tPA or SK infusion) or usual therapy. All patients without specific contraindications were given atenolol (5-10 mg iv) and aspirin (300-325 mg a day). The end-point of the study was the combined estimate of death plus severe left ventricular damage. 12 490 patients were randomised to four treatment groups (SK alone, SK plus heparin, tPA alone, tPA plus heparin). No specific differences between the two thrombolytic agents were detected as regards the combined end-point (tPA 23\ub71%; SK 22\ub75%; relative risk 1\ub704, 95% Cl 0\ub795-1\ub713), nor after the addition of heparin to the aspirin treatment (hep 22\ub77%, no hep 22\ub79%; RR 0\ub799, 95% Cl 0\ub791-1\ub708). The outcome of patients allocated to the four treatment groups was similar with respect to baseline risk factors such as age, Killip class, hours from onset of symptoms, and site and type of infarct. The rates of major in-hospital cardiac complications (reinfarction, post-infarction angina) were also similar. The incidence of major bleeds was significantly higher in SK and heparin treated patients (respectively, tPA 0\ub75%, SK 1\ub70%, RR 0\ub757, 95% Cl 0\ub738-0\ub785; hep 1\ub70%, no hep 0\ub76%, RR 1\ub764, 95% Cl 1\ub709-2\ub745), whereas the overall incidence of stroke was similar in all groups. SK and tPA appear equally effective and safe for use in routine conditions of care, in all infarct patients who have no contraindications, with or without post-thrombolytic heparin treatment. The 8\ub78% hospital mortality of the study population (compared with approximately 13% in the control cohort of the GISSI-1 trial) indicates the beneficial impact of the proven acute treatments for AMI. \ua9 1990