Silence is Golden

This installation uses emblems from different worlds and cultures, combined to convey a sense of omertà (code of silence in southern Italy) and the elimination of verbal language.

The dove/pigeons sewn onto the fabric of the curtains leading into the room allude to the verb cantare (in Italian, both singing and spilling the beans), while referring to the American slang ‘stool pigeon’.
The entire installation is laced with gold with a tone of sacredness, from the lettering embossed on the cards at the entrance, intimating our silence, to the pix from which the pure black liquorice candy overflows.
Produced from the extract of a root renowned in the region of Calabria, the candy’s bitter-sweet favour can be likened to the condition of belonging to a protective culture which imposes its code of silence.

Installation comprising pix, licorice, business cards, podiums, dimensions variable
Year: 2007

Exhibited at Spritztime!, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice (I), 2007