Strumento a perdifiato

Topolò Station, Topolò (UD, Italy)


from 3 July to 18 July 1999,
in three places of Topolò:

1) Parking
2) "Embassy"
3) Information Center

If we and the universe are as one body to speak to ourselves means to speak to the universe and to speak to universe means to speak to ourselves.

 

I have built a tool which I call “Strumento a Perdifiato” (Word wind instrument / Infinite wind instrument) in order to render official and legitimate the action of speaking to oneself, otherwise seen as odd or, at the least, too subjective. In order to find the proper name for the instrument I considered two factors: firstly its function and secondly its technical characteristics. In relation to the function I defined it “Strumento…” (Instrument) in that it performs an action with precision and accuracy (every act of precision requires instruments fit for the context one is performing in). In relation to the technical characteristics I added “…a Perdifiato” (Word wind…/Infinite wind…) given that, with reference to the declaration of ETICA ESPRESSIVA UNIVERSALE (EEU) – Corriere della Sera 8 May 1994 – it formalises the process of communication of a body of vast proportions. In Italian we say “…a perdita d’occhio” (…as far as the eye can see) when we regard a never-ending landscape; in the same way we could say “…a Perdifiato” (Word wind…/Infinite wind…) underlining the effort to communicate at long distance. The “Strumento a Perdifiato” is as simple in its formal structure as it is efficient in the performance of the tasks it has been created for. To speak to oneself is a deliberate action which involves the will to reach one’s own nature through an inner dialogue. On the other hand, the act of talking alone, which is instinctive and occasional, is often concerned with the condition of the human existence or with an inner disease which lies beyond our will, instead achieving an awareness of our conscience through the communication. To speak to ourselves, therefore, become a deliberate choice: a natural act of communication.

The “Strumento a Perdifiato” guarantees simultaneous communication, it nullifies the difference between the senses, it allows hearing to correspond with speech, the mouth to superimpose the ear until they become one.

The tool stresses our universal condition, our reality extended beyond our bodily limits.

The “Strumento a Perdifiato” is a precision instrument conceived to stimulate one’s conscience and awareness of a new, universal nature. It entails an action, small though it may be, which prepares us for listening, as well as communication. The user can move his mouth closer, draw up his/her ear and speak to the Universe.