Dramaturgy & Performance: Gelsomina Bassetti Direction & Adaptation: Mirko Corradini Original Music: Michele Callà Video & Animation: Monica Garofalo, Michele Callà Lighting Design: Giada Corradini Production: Aporia Teatro
Year: 2024
Life is always and in any case a fascinating adventure. This could sum up the life of Gelsomina Bassetti, the artist to whom this show is dedicated and who, despite herself, is also its protagonist.
Great painters, artists, actors, and musicians write their autobiographies; others have them written. Bassetti did not do this, did not want to do it, yet somehow this work became exactly that. The direction painted its outline, its trace, deceiving the actress and the person, forcing her to bare herself on stage. She found herself compelled to follow the current, gradually becoming the captain of the ship. In the end, unwillingly, it was she who decided where and how to go. Or, more likely, her art, her poetry, her desire/need for disobedience decided for her.
Amaranthus is the plant of the world's salvation. A single plant is enough to produce 500,000 seeds capable of remaining dormant but vital in the ground for up to ten years, only to find the conditions to reproduce. A symbol of immortality and resilience.
My work
I composed the original music and created video elements in collaboration with Monica Garofalo. The production integrates multiple audiovisual layers:
Station Signals — I designed a series of four visual/sonic cues inspired by vintage train station flip boards. Using Premiere Pro for the graphic animation and Pro Tools for sound design, I created moments where flipping panels form phrases directed at the performer, punctuated by mechanical sounds and signal tones. These function as dramaturgical markers within the performance.
Music & Narrative Architecture — The sonic and visual elements exist as parallel threads that intersect with the performer's presence, creating a space where Bassetti's personal story and the symbol of the amaranth plant resonate together.
Related work
This production generated an autonomous video work exploring the themes of growth, resilience and creative process through images of Bassetti's garden and studio:
Credits
Year - 2024
Dramaturgy & Performance - Gelsomina Bassetti
Direction & Adaptation - Mirko Corradini
Original Music - Michele Callà
Video & Animation - Monica Garofalo, Michele Callà
Lighting Design - Giada Corradini
Production - Aporia Teatro