Covering about 330 m2 of wall, the work located at the entrance to the town of Cairo Montenotte in the Province of Savona was created by the artists Enrico Morelli, Stefania Semolini and Barbara Alessandri. The project was developed by the cultural association La Marca Aleramica Aps, in conjunction with Cairo Montenotte town council, CIMA Research Foundation, the Ferrania Film Museum, the Savona branch of FAI (the Italian National Trust), the Agostino De Mari Foundation, the students and teachers from a Savona technical college, and several local businesses.
Presentation of the work to the public was through photos and video footage where what gradually unfurls is a series of different scenes connected to the same source ‒ a roll of camera film, alluding to the industrial past of the local area. A textured pattern, featuring the botanical variety of local trees, acts as the natural background to several striking examples of typical wildlife: these stare onlookers straight in the eye, making two-way contact. The feel is “you’re looking at me but I’m also looking at you”. The work rounds off with a few details in reference to the legend-cum-history of Adelaide and Aleramo and the Aleramici marquises.
CIMA’s engagement in the project resides in the concept that art is first and foremost a form of communication acting through free creative expression; one that emotionally involves the observer (the town residents in this case) based on the principle that teamwork by everyone is essential in safeguarding the local area and its biodiversity ‒ factors closely linked to risk reduction.
