Street artit was used as a frame to modify the landscape of a suggestive corner of the Italian region of Molise. Civitacampomarano, a town of just 400 inhabitants, was the setting for the first edition of “CVTà Street Fest”. The festival took place from Thursday 21 April to Sunday 24 April 2016 with the participation of six internationally renowned artists:Whiteshock(Italy),David’s hand(Spain),Pablo S. Herrero(Spain),Hitnes(Italy),ICK(Italy), eONE(Italy).Alice Pasquiniacted as artistic director of the festival whileJessica Stewartcoordinated the festival and the Pro Loco “Vincenzo Cuoco” of Civitacampomarano acts as the organizing body.
HOW THE FESTIVAL BEGAN – It all started with an email sent to Alice in 2014 fromIleniaCarelli, president of the Pro Loco “Vincenzo Cuoco”, a simple invitation to come to Civitacampomarano and paint the walls of the historical centre, long since abandoned. “I painted on old doors to remind us of what is no longer there.” explains Alice, “Many of the beautiful houses are now empty and over time so many people have left Civitacampomarano that the current population is just over four hundred inhabitants”. Alice’s attraction for Civitacampomarano is not only artistic. “For me it was not just any city, but the birthplace of my grandfather. The interesting thing is that Ylenia didn’t know it when she wrote me the first email ». As residents grew fond of the artwork, street art became a conduit for the rediscovery of the abandoned downtown. With this, the idea of a festival was born. WHY CVTA? – In the local Civitacampomarano dialect it is pronounced “Cvtà”, an ideal name to unite the past and future of the town.
STREET ART – Each of the six invited artists will work, over the course of four days, on the walls made available by the community. Within these carefully selected spaces, Biancoshock, David de la Mano, Hitnes, ICKS, Pablo S. Herrero and UNO will work closely with the inhabitants of Civitacampomarano.
NOT JUST WALLS – Four days of side events have been scheduled to coincide with the festival, from guided tours with local schools to street food evenings, where the community opens its doors to cook typical local dishes. The walking tours and a workshop to connect space and community, organized by Legambiente onlus, have contributed to further animating the village. Acclaimed musician DJ Gruff in Civitacampomarano, where he met the locals and used music from their past to create a new soundtrack.
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/cvtastreetfest/
Instagram: @cvtastreetfest
All photos courtesy ofAlessia di Risio(Instagram @aisselador)
Artist social channels:
Alice Pasquini: @alicepasquini –https://www.facebook.com/Alice.Pasquini.Art/
Davide De La Mano: @daviddelamano_ – https://www.facebook.com/daviddelamano75/
Pablo S. Herrero: @pablosherrero – https://www.facebook.com/pablos.herrero/
Hitnes: @hitnesio https://www.facebook.com/Hitnes-142236115940399/
ICKS: @xicksx – https://www.facebook.com/ICKS.stencil/
ONE: @identcareaboutuno – https://www.facebook.com/UNOstreetart/
