Writers for a Light Writing
(1989-2004)
In 1989 Richi Ferrero started a series of experimentation in his workshop and in the streets of Turin, which aimed at replacing paint spray cans used by writers for their wall painting creations. A replacing based on the projection of an image entailing the elimination of the invasive use of paint. In 1989 projector prototypes were built and placed on street lamps, underneath house balconies so as to project the main images on the corners of the streets. In this way, people walking through a stretch of more adjoining blocks on foot could read some brief visual histories since each following image would unravel a micro-tale just like in comic strips. A series of images (shadows) representing in subsequent order the escape from a prison were created. At the first corner a bared window was projected, at the second block the second image depicted that same window, with an added human presence behind the bars, the third block showed the man in the process of widening the bars with the sheer strength of his arms and opening a gap, the forth block showed the prisoner whilst jumping out of the window, at the precise moment he finds himself between the divaricated bars in the act of escaping, and finally at the last corner was the same window with bars widened and on the side the tiny black shadow of a man running away. The project was submitted to the local authorities in charge of the city’s suburban areas and envisioned the involvement of the city writers to which there was no follow up.
In 2004, the experimentations carried out in 1989 were resumed, but with the addition of smaller projectors, more technologically versatile and less invasive. The images produced from the latter are pointed a perdere at a medium length on the pavements. Thus causing the passers-by to dress with and undress the images according to their passing in the street. The occasional image bearers therefore become unwittingly mobile screens, and luminous newspapers when writings are projected; alive sculptures when the passers-by turn into the most multihued paintings.
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