Where did the idea of the Virtual Gallery come from?
The idea of the Virtual Gallery originated from a proposal submitted to the Public Notice of the Ministry of Culture (Italy), through the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity (DGCC), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, for the provision of non-repayable grants in favor of micro and small enterprises, third sector entities, and profit and non-profit organizations operating in the cultural and creative sectors to promote innovation and digital transition. PNRR, Mission 1 – Digitalization, innovation, competitiveness, and culture, Component 3 – Tourism and Culture 4.0 (M1C3), Measure 3 “Cultural and creative industry 4.0,” Investment 3.3: “Capacity building for cultural operators to manage digital and green transition,” Sub-Investment 3.3.2: – Support for cultural and creative sectors for innovation and digital transition (Action A II).
The public notice, in short, allowed providing support to cultural and creative sectors for innovation and digital transition along the entire value chain (production, co-production, management, distribution, and audience engagement) through financial contributions.
The project was co-designed by a group of users of Fermata d’Autobus, in collaboration with psychologist Dr. Diego Carlo Valsania, art therapist and photo-art therapist Carola Lorio, multimedia applications expert Dr. Roberto Castaldo, and sociologist Dr. Chiara Borgaro.
Who are Fermata d’Autobus and Gliacrobati? Fermata d’Autobus Onlus (http://www.fermatadautobus.net/), active in the Province of Turin (Piedmont, Italy), is an association that provides assistance and care to those experiencing psychological and psychiatric distress accompanied by forms of pathological dependence. Pathological dependencies can take various forms: substance abuse, alcoholism, emotional dependence, gambling addiction, internet addiction, eating disorders, all of which are nothing but the consequence, or rather, the symptom, of a deeper disorder. An integral part of Fermata d’Autobus therapeutic approach has always been therapeutic-expressive groups, including, but not limited to, art therapy, photo-art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, ceramics, theater, screen printing, and sewing. Expressive activity integrates and supports psychotherapy – without replacing it – thanks to the relationship established between the patient and the therapist through the mediation of the created artwork, music, and body expression. The use and development of means of expression, together with non-verbal communication, unleash the participant’s imagination, allowing free associations and unconscious content otherwise unexpressed, representing a valuable tool for overcoming psychological and social difficulties.
Gliacrobati artgallery (https://www.gliacrobati.com/) was established in 2017 by the will of the Fermata d’Autobus Onlus to create an exhibition space that looks at the complexity and fragility of existence, aimed at international dialogue between mainstream and non-mainstream contemporary art, to explore its intricate border areas, and in 2019, it became a Cultural Association. Within the context of Gliacrobati Collective, it welcomes individuals with dual diagnoses and psychiatric patients, from Fermata d’Autobus Onlus care circuit and beyond, where, guided by art therapists, they work on their emotions, self-expression, and sharing with others, through which they confront and grow through exchange and dialogue. Since 2022, the Association has collaborated with territorial services by activating training courses and internships for people with disabilities. In 2022, the Association organized the first edition of the “Nourishing the Gaze Exercises” workshop, an initiative that was highly successful. Since 2023, Gliacrobati has been welcoming artistic groups for school-age children, led by two art therapists.
The Project in Brief
The project aims to create and disseminate innovative solutions for new creative products that integrate multiple expressive languages, while simultaneously reducing territorial disparities and reaching vulnerable groups. In particular, the activity aims to create Virtual Galleries, three-dimensional local spaces in computer graphics as if they were real spaces, where users can move virtually. It is, therefore, an immersive experience offered through 360° 3D videos accessible from any screen, but which, with a 3D viewer, allow access to a suggestive virtual reality. Within this space, individual and collective exhibitions will be displayed, and virtual visitors will be able to approach individual creations and obtain information (artist video interviews and description of the artwork with subtitles, making-of videos, photos of the creation). The aim is to create an online ecosystem as an aggregator of artistic works also realised in creative workshops based on art therapy principles by many authors, even from outside the region, particularly from care and rehabilitation centers or cultural associations, offering the possibility of expression, visibility, and inclusion to as many artists as possible. Thus, it is intended for those who express themselves through artistic means but do not have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their creations. Some works will be registered using the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) system – to protect intellectual property and the authenticity of the product – and purchasable in an associated e-shop.
The beneficiaries of the project are both users of care and rehabilitation centers who use or intend to use art as an expressive channel and all those interested in artistic work in a broad sense, including so-called “irregular art.” Furthermore, part of the audience will undoubtedly be represented by all cultural associations that are interested in or use art as a channel, as well as professionals (critics and artists) who have a specific interest in irregular artistic currents and outsider art. A Gallery that focuses not so much on the speculative aspect of art but more on conveying the emotion behind and within the artwork (for example, through the use of video presentations of artists and their creations, it allows to retain the visitor to the artistic-cultural production). Moreover, the project will offer care and rehabilitation centers or cultural associations that do not yet use art as an expressive channel an interesting opportunity for future implementation of creative workshops based on art therapy principles. The progressive expansion of the user base over time will, therefore, lead to a progressive increase in works exhibited in the Virtual Gallery; simultaneously, the preservation of artistic work, offered by digitization, will allow its delayed fruition, and the Gallery will become an always accessible archive of past and present exhibitions.
Project Code: TOCC0002579. COR: 15908084. CUP: C67J23001490008. Financed by the European Union – Next Generation EU – PNRR Digital Transition Cultural and Creative Organizations