The RIVA project, promoted by the Associazione MUS.E, under the artistic direction of Valentina Gensini, in collaboration with the Municipality of Florence, the Region of Tuscany, in co-project with the Sensi contemporanei program and MiC (Ministry of Culture, Italy) was created with the aim of enhancing the banks of the Arno River, in the heart of Florence and in the metropolitan area.
In 1966, the city went through the dreadful experience of the flood, which caused over one hundred casualties, besides damaging or destroying thousands of masterpieces of art and rare books. The joint effort of Italian and foreign volunteers made it possible for many of these works to be restored, but after many decades much remains to be done. After this tragedy, the city forgot the banks of the Arno, casting an aloof gaze over them with waning intimacy. The RIVA Project was expanded with the ultimate goal of creating a fluvial park in the heart of the city, enjoying the participation of artists, curators, researchers, biologists, and architects from all over Italy and farther afield. In the last few years, with an eye on rediscovering the environmental and cultural heritage associated with the river, the RIVA Project has produced:
* art installations and exhibitions in collaboration with photographers, artists, and composers who have created innovative visual and sound portraits of the river and its recollections, besides fostering new visions of the river and its banks;
* workshops and laboratories addressed to locals and young artists led by designers, artists, and photographers keen on environmental and social issues;
* round tables, conferences, and lectures with the participation of artists, curators, researchers, sociologists, and architects on the themes of environmental sustainability, protection of the landscape, biodiversity, participatory democracy;
- artist residencies and training opportunities for young artists aimed at producing new works connected with the rediscovery of the river as a primary resource and an element that might give life to a vast park in the centre of Florence and the metropolitan area.
The exhibition herein presented offers an overview on the most interesting interventions produced during the last five years, since the 50th anniversary of the flood.
List of artists adhering to the Project:
The RIVA Project is realized in collaboration with Fondazione Studio Marangoni (International Training Center for Photography) and with Tempo Reale (Center for Research, Production and Musical Education), in co-project with the Sensi Contemporanei program and MiC, with the support of Regione Toscana, Comune di Firenze, Mus.e, FST.
