Who are you? What do you do? What do you bring? A florin!

This essay elaborates upon some ethnographic notes taken during informal participant observation by a freelance cultural anthropologist living in Turin (capital of Piedmont, one of the regions most affected by COVID-19) during the pandemic in Italy. The essay explores many issues faced by Italian residents during the lockdown, including inequality and grassroots initiatives, isolation conditions in a variety of contexts (home, prisons, retirement homes), stereotypes of Italians from abroad, the misunderstanding of personal distancing guidelines and the concept of family and community.used to face the fear.&nbsp

Teatro interculturale e corpi-in-relazione. AlmaTeatro e la questione dell'identità culturale oggi

Abstract – ITLe società complesse contemporanee vedono l'emergere sulla scena teatrale di realtà ed esperienze costituite da soggetti con origini culturali o nazionali diverse da quelle occidentali. Qualsiasi siano le pratiche adottate nel lavoro, tali casi si interrogano però sempre su questioni legate all'identità e alla diversità culturale che i membri di queste realtà esperiscono nella vita quotidiana, e su temi quali migrazioni, multiculturalità e interculturalità propri delle società in cui tale realtà emergono e/o si sviluppano. La letteratura prodotta sull'argomento è già consistente, e presenta un numero significativo di casi. I modelli teorici più utili per l'analisi di questi, dei loro processi produttivi e delle reti di relazione con la società sono stati elaborati da Gilbert e Lo e da Holledge e Tompkins. La presentazione di tali modelli si accompagna qui al loro ricorso nell'analisi dell'attività di una compagnia teatrale multi- e interculturale italiana, AlmaTeatro.Abstract – ENComplex contemporary societies see the emergence upon the scene of realities and experiences whose individuals are from cultural or national origins other than Westerners. Whatever the practices adopted for the work, these realities always face the issues of cultural identity and diversity on stage as well as in their members everyday lives, and issues such as immigration, multiculturalism and interculturalism politics of the society where these experiences emerge and/or develop. The literature produced on the topic is already substantial, and present a huge number of cases. The most useful theoretical models to analyze these, their production processes and the networks of relationship they hold with the society they relate to are those by Gilbert & Lo and Holledge & Tompkins. The presentation of these models is accompanied here by their application in the analysis of the activity of a multi-and intercultural Italian theatre company, AlmaTeatro

Abbattere muri (in)visibili Confini, migrazioni e arte contemporanea

L’arte contemporanea che volge la propria attenzione a indagare lasituazione geopolitica del mondo attuale lavora da tempo sui confini visibili e invisibiliche separano persone, società e culture. La produzione sul tema della reificazione deiconfini transnazionali attraverso barriere fisiche (quali i muri) o naturali (quali il mare) èormai vastissima sia per quantità di lavori prodotti, sia per eterogeneità di forme in cuisi esprime. Per la gravità delle conseguenze della loro gestione sulle persone checercano di attraversarli e per la portata dei discorsi che, inizialmente locali, si rivelanopoi potenzialmente universali, due aree rappresentano casi emblematici: il confine traMessico e Stati Uniti e il bacino del Mediterraneo.L’arte contemporanea si concentra anch’essa su queste aree, con contributi chespesso risuonano con quelli di altre discipline (antropologia, border studies). Facendoriferimento ad alcune opere tra quelle ivi realizzate negli ultimi vent’anni, siindividueranno alcune ricorrenze nei discorsi promossi (denuncia delle situazionicontingenti, critica al colonialismo foriero delle discriminazioni attuali, analogie checonnettono gli esseri umani al di là della loro variabilità culturale), giungendo aindividuare il denominatore comune finale di questi lavori nella volontà di mettere indiscussione e abbattere non solo i muri, ma anche i confini, visti come residui dimodalità coloniali di relazione tra gli esseri umani ormai non più accettabili.Contemporary art that turns its attention to investigating the geopoliticalsituation of today’s world has long worked on the visible and invisible boundaries thatseparate people, societies and cultures. The production on the theme of the reificationof transnational borders through physical barriers (such as walls) or natural barriers(such as the sea) is now vast both for the quantity of works produced and for theheterogeneity of the forms in which it expresses itself. For the seriousness of theconsequences of their management on the people who try to cross them and for thescope of the discourses that, initially local, prove to be potentially universal, two areasrepresent emblematic cases: the border between Mexico and the United States and theMediterranean basin.Contemporary art focuses on these areas as well, with contributions that oftenresonate with those from other disciplines (anthropology, border studies). Referring tosome of the works realized there in the last twenty years, some recurrences will beidentified in the speeches promoted (denunciation of contingent situations, criticism ofcolonialism harbinger of current discriminations, analogies that connect human beingsbeyond their cultural variability), coming to identify the final common denominator ofthese works in the will to question and break down not only the walls, but also theborders, seen as remnants of colonial ways of relationship between human beings nolonger acceptable

Arte irregolare in Italia. Storie, passaggi e connessioni

Over the past hundred years, artefacts produced by people with mental disabilities or who live various forms of social marginalization have been collected, investigated, exhibited and discussed. However, absolute criteria to consider them as works of art or, on the contrary, as mere expressive productions without aesthetic qualities are yet to come. Still, it is now possible to trace the history of the matter, hence to infer useful elements for a general reflection. Paying a specific attention to the case of the City of Turin, that holds one of the oldest and richest Art Brut collections in Italy (eg. Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography), the history of this process is here reconstructed connecting the international with the local emergence of this production. Furthermore, the dialogue now going on with irregular and contemporary artworks in exhibitions and projects is also investigated.Nonostante il fatto che negli ultimi cento anni manufatti prodotti da persone con disabilità mentali o che vivono varie forme di emarginazione sociale sono state raccolte, indagate, esibite e discusse, non esistono ancora dei criteri assoluti per considerare questi lavori o come opere d'arte o, al contrario, come mere produzioni espressive senza qualità estetiche. Tuttavia, è ora possibile risalire alla storia della questione e, quindi, dedurre elementi utili per una riflessione generale. Un'attenzione specifica al caso della città di Torino, che custodisce una delle più antiche e ricche collezioni di Art Brut d'Italia (es. Museo di Antropologia ed Etnografia). La storia di questo processo viene qui ricostruita connettendo l'internazionale con le emergenze locali di questa produzione e verificando il dialogo in corso fra opere irregolari e contemporanee in mostre e progetti

Un lungo viaggio in una forma breve. Il videoclip musicale e il fenomeno della migrazione

The phenomenon of migration characterizes the contemporary world, giving rise to deep socio-economic and cultural changes. The music scene has been describing this situation for a long time, both denouncing publicly activities that harm human rights and supporting first-hand solidarity projects and initiatives through its influential and charismatic impact on millions of young people. Music videos – a hybrid kind of art between business and experimentation – take the form not only of a space for music visualization, but also for conveying a personal, political and social message. Those music videos that we analyse here address the issue of migration, showing  how it is being dealt with and articulated from time to time in representations that range from the real experiences of the artists themselves – raised among different cultures – to other more metaphorical and symbolic experiences through the use of diverse expressive forms, such as documentary, abstract, animated and archival images.The phenomenon of migration characterizes the contemporary world, giving rise to deep socio-economic and cultural changes. The music scene has been describing this situation for a long time, both denouncing publicly activities that harm human rights and supporting first-hand solidarity projects and initiatives through its influential and charismatic impact on millions of young people. Music videos – a hybrid kind of art between business and experimentation – take the form not only of a space for music visualization, but also for conveying a personal, political and social message. Those music videos that we analyse here address the issue of migration, showing  how it is being dealt with and articulated from time to time in representations that range from the real experiences of the artists themselves – raised among different cultures – to other more metaphorical and symbolic experiences through the use of diverse expressive forms, such as documentary, abstract, animated and archival images

An infrared spectroscopy method to detect ammonia in gastric juice

partially_open6Ammonia in gastric juice is considered a potential biomarker for Helicobacter pylori infection and as a factor contributing to gastric mucosal injury. High ammonia concentrations are also found in patients with chronic renal failure, peptic ulcer disease, and chronic gastritis. Rapid and specific methods for ammonia detection are urgently required by the medical community. Here we present a method to detect ammonia directly in gastric juice based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The ammonia dissolved in biological liquid samples as ammonium ion was released in air as a gas by the shifting of the pH equilibrium of the ammonium/ammonia reaction and was detected in line by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy system equipped with a gas cell for the quantification. The method developed provided high sensitivity and selectivity in ammonia detection both in pure standard solutions and in a simulated gastric juice matrix over the range of diagnostic concentrations tested. Preliminary analyses were also performed on real gastric juice samples from patients with gastric mucosal injury and with symptoms of H. pylori infection, and the results were in agreement with the clinicopathology information. The whole analysis, performed in less than 10 min, can be directly applied on the sample without extraction procedures and it ensures high specificity of detection because of the ammonia fingerprint absorption bands in the infrared spectrum. This method could be easily used with endoscopy instrumentation to provide information in real time and would enable the endoscopist to improve and integrate gastroscopic examinations.openGiovannozzi, A; Pennecchi, F.; Muller, P.; Balma Tivola, P.; Roncari, S.; Rossi, AGiovannozzi, ANDREA MARIO; Pennecchi, FRANCESCA ROMANA; Muller, P.; Balma Tivola, P.; Roncari, S.; Rossi, ANDREA MARI