The works of Cassinari’s students recount the 900 years of the Cathedral

As part of the event “900 years of the Cathedral of Piacenza (1122-2022)”, the exhibition of the pictorial, plastic, graphic and multimedia works of the Liceo Artistico Bruno Cassinari in Piacenza was inaugurated, an exhibition that will occupy some of the exhibition spaces of the museum Kronos and some rooms of the well-known ascent to the Cupola. The project was born from the collaboration between the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio – Cultural Heritage Office and the Liceo Cassinari, thanks to the coordination of Professor Michele Parisi: a concrete action of enhancement and involvement of the new generations in being both users and builders of beauty, so that they can immerse themselves in the profound meaning of the Cathedral and the artistic, cultural and spiritual history of the city, taking part in it. The exhibition is therefore the result of a co-planning between two local institutions that look in the same direction of training and stimulus for students, in a vision of investment in the future of the area and those who live there.

The exhibition of the works is part of the very busy calendar of cultural events scheduled for the twentieth century, and is the final result of a specific educational activity to enhance transversal skills for orientation (PCTO).

For the design and construction of the works, it was decided to give different faces and follow multiple visions:

Class 5a audiovisual and multimedia: a series of photographs, videos, a painting tell us about the geographical location of the Cathedral, its orientation in space, how light invests it. With the earth’s motion, over the months, geometries, spaces of light and shadow are generated, inside the Cathedral, on its external surfaces. His presence flows from one corner to the other in the square.

5th class figurative arts: the facade of the cathedral is a surface that bears traces of natural and cultural history: ammonites on blocks of Verona marble, sandstone smoothed by atmospheric agents, bas-reliefs and sculptures in the round. Portions of the facade constituted the compositional skeleton for the pictorial investigations on panels to which references to artists of the second half of the twentieth century were added.

4th class graphics section A: the starting point was the observation of the most relevant iconographic details of the interior and exterior of the Cathedral. Details that were subsequently translated graphically into decorative images used for the creation of two gadgets, a bookmark and a shopper, which intend to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Cathedral.

4th class graphics section B: from a careful observation of the calligraphic system of the ancient manuscripts kept in the Capitulary Archive of the Cathedral we proceeded towards the digital vectorization of their forms to create original lettering/images used as decorative designs to be applied to a merchandising object .

4th class figurative arts: various installations were proposed born from a reflection on the path that pilgrims followed along the Via Francigena which connected Canterbury to Rome. Piacenza was and remains a crucial resting place and the Cathedral was an important destination: for this reason the proposed works aim to investigate the contrast between the faithful and religion, between the outside and the inside, between sin and atonement.

The exhibition is curated by teachers Roberto Dapoto, Cristina Martini, Manuela Piroli, Alessandra Repetti, Antonio Romano, Nicola Traversoni and Michele Parisi, tutor of the project, with the precious supervision of the architect Manuel Ferrari, director of the office for ecclesiastical cultural heritage and the religious building of the Diocese of Piacenza and Bobbio, together with all the students of the classes involved.

The exhibition will be open from 19 November 2022 to 8 January 2023 from 15.00 to 18.00 (last admission at 17.00) and will be visible to all those who decide to visit the museum of the Cathedral of Piacenza.

To be able to admire the works located along the ascent route to the dome, it will be necessary – from Tuesday to Friday – to book by writing to the email address [email protected], to activate the pick-up service on a single shift at 15.30. Reservations are recommended on Saturday and Sunday, ascent shifts are scheduled at 15.00, 16.00 and 17.00. Closing day: Monday.

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The works of Cassinari’s students recount the 900 years of the Cathedral – Libertà Piacenza