In nome del cielo

Living halfway between earth and sky, suspended on a high column equipped with screens playing videos of environmental catastrophes related to our time, the artist stayed for 4 consecutive days (from 5pm on Thursday 1 February to 5pm on Sunday 4 February) on the top, giving life to a work which, combining video art and performance, reflects on the relationship between man and nature in the Anthropocene. The tower testifies to the consequences of human actions towards nature through Leonardo Panizza's video works on the destructive effects of the climate crisis. The performance, inspired by the Stylite monks who lived in the Near East starting from the 5th century, is instead a form of ascetic devotion that denotes the artist's shamanic intention to dialogue with the spiritual. Living exposed to bad weather and atmospheric agents, practicing the maximum renunciation of material goods, places the performer in psychophysical stress which becomes a metaphorical form of penance. The performer was directly dependent on the empathy of the users: they could become supporters of the practice by offering vegan food and water via a pulley. The action was live streamed throughout the event.