A TROPEA. SIT DOWN TO HAVE AN IDEA

Andrea Bianconi
Tropea
1 August 2020

In a summer that is more Italian than ever, Andrea Bianconi’s artistic journey continued with his project Sit Down to Have an Idea, which on 1 August 2020 landed in Tropea, candidate city for Italian Capital of Culture in 2022. The announcement came from Andrea Bianconi and the mayor of Tropea, Giovanni Macrì.

The performance in this Italian gem set on the Costa degli Dei was a sort of propitiatory rite that lit up the dawn light: at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday 1 August, a group of newly graduated students gathered in front of the Liceo Scientifico F.lli Vianeo and set off in procession to carry the armchair to Piazza del Cannone, where the work was installed. 
A Tropea is the fourth stage of the Sit Down To Have An Idea project by Andrea Bianconi.«A magical place, with a history stretching back thousands of years and a haunting beauty. I decided to bring the ‘armchair of ideas’ to Tropea to rest it in front of the sea» states the artist. «After Cima Carega at an altitude of 2259 metres in the Little Dolomites, I will go to Calabria, to the tip of the boot. Whoever sits in this armchair will overlook the sea, will see only the marvellous sparkle of these waters, will have peace and this feeling of infinity that can make you wish, think, and give birth to new ideas. In this marvellous and magical place, our dreams continue and my work of art has taken on a profound meaning, that of inducing people to stop, sit, reflect, imagine and… Have an idea. Never before has thinking about our future linked us to moments of well-being with nature and everything around us».
«I am delighted that Andrea Bianconi wanted to make Tropea the stage for his new performance, a fine sign of attention from the world of culture and a contemporary artist whom I had the opportunity to appreciate even before» states the mayor Giovanni Macrì. «This is a wonderful gift to the city and is part of the promotion of Tropea’s candidature as Italian Capital of Culture for 2022. Tropea is receiving a great deal of international recognition for the excellent work it has done so far. Andrea Bianconi’s attention and gesture is a further sign of the role that this place wants to play in Italy and the world, as a tourist destination that combines art, culture, history and nature». 

A Tropea. Sit Down to Have an Idea is an artistic project realised by Andrea Bianconi with the collaboration of Casa Testori and Fondazione Coppola, under the patronage of Regione Calabria, Comune di Tropea, Istituto Superiore Tropea Consulta Associazioni del Territorio, Pro Loco di Tropea, AS.AL.T (Associazioni Albergatori di Tropea) and AssCom Tropea (Associazione commercianti e operatori turistici di Tropea).

The project, the fourth act of Sit Down to Have an Idea, which invaded the urban spaces of Bologna during Arte Fiera, the cultural spaces of the Duse Theatre and the summit of Cima Carega, brings Andrea Bianconi’s chair to the transparent waters of beautiful Tropea. Its journey to the most unexpected and beautiful places in our country brings a profound message of hope and rebirth, of reflection on our future and the ideas we must cultivate for a better world, the need to live in harmony and respect for the planet. «I am convinced of the therapeutic function of art» syas Bianconi. «For me, bringing art into boundless spaces to contaminate them with places and visitors means giving them strong emotions and ideas that are the oxygen of our existence».

The project also pursued its charitable purpose: on the occasion of A Tropea, bandanas made by Bianconi with the inscription “Sit down to Have an Idea” were put on sale, the proceeds from which will be entirely donated to the Fondazione Ricerca Fibrosi Cistica (FFC), for over twenty years Italy’s leading research organisation on cystic fibrosis, the most widespread serious genetic disease in the country. Chaired by Matteo Marzotto, the Fondazione Ricerca Fibrosi Cistica is a non-profit organisation recognised by the MIUR (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca) as the National Agency for scientific research into cystic fibrosis, the most widespread serious genetic disease (7,000 people in Italy, 100,000 worldwide) for which there is still no conclusive cure. Cystic fibrosis is a multi-organ disease, but it is the damage to the lungs that eventually leads to no longer being able to breathe. What you are experiencing today because of Covid – masks, social distancing and hygiene precautions – is the everyday life of a cystic fibrosis patient from birth. The Foundation’s primary mission is to promote, select and fund advanced research projects to improve the quality and average lifespan of sufferers and defeat the disease. Alongside research, there is also the fundamental work of raising awareness of the disease, which in Italy has around 2.5 million healthy carriers, often unaware that they are carriers, who may conceive children with cystic fibrosis. Andrea Bianconi’s project will contribute to this and future initiatives.