Il folle volo

Opening tomorrow, Thursday, August 28, at 1:00 pm slt at Lost Town (La Città Perduta) is a installation by Giovanna Cerise entitled Il Folle Volo, meaning in English literally The Mad Fight. Curated by Akilae Gant and Sivi Kelberry, the Italian town has served as a recurring venue or environment in which artists can develop new works, and often artistic results have meshed with the town with remarkable elegance. In Giovanna's case, inspiration has been drawn from the character of Odysseus, who appears in ancient as well as contemporary literature as a symbol, as Giovanna puts it, "of the journey of all men who refuse to be trapped by dogma ropes, conformism and fear and prefer to go further, risking," adding, "Everyone can be Ulysses, when we are ready to take 'il folle volo'. Is always right do it?"

In this particular installation, Giovanna considers five elements of the Odyssean myth: The Trojan Horse (which gained the Greeks entrance into the city of Troy), Polyphemus (one of the cyclops and a son of Poseidon), Circe (a goddess who managed to change Odysseus's crew into swine), the Sirens (previously encountered by Orpheus), and the Mad Fight. The last is not drawn from the Odyssean myths but is rather a reference to Dante's Inferno, Canto XXVI, in which Odysseus is know by his Roman name, Ulysses. Giovanna states, "The mad flight can be considered as the symbol of a journey into the unknown. It is also the daily challenge that every man faces in his journey in trying to overcome his limitations, large or small they may be."

Three of Giovanna's creations tower over Lost Town, while the other two are more subtle. To get around, spot the teleporter pads, which can take you by sequence through the entire build, and will also drop you off at a place to obtain some free avatars by Sivi and Akilae. As you arrive at each stop, you can either read the descriptive text in Italian, posted on boards, or click on the boards to obtain English translations. While you're visiting, do enjoy the other sites around the sim (including the underground tunnels), and feel free to make a contribution near the landing point.