Beings wandering in an indefinite space. A semblance of water and islands lost in an indistinct fog: this is the... Read More
Beings wandering in an indefinite space. A semblance of water and islands lost in an indistinct fog: this is the Land of Nod in Stefano Maria Girardi's reading. Through his installation he forces us to become aware of our inconsistency, floating lightly in the air. But this land is anything but insubstantial in its multiple references, starting with the linguistic one, which constitutes a verbally unexpressed but fundamental subtext. The words of the Bible are keys, which must be used to arrive at the deep meaning of the tale: Cain - from qáyin, acquisition, possession - steals Abel's breath - literally hebel, breath of life - of which he is jealous.
What does Cain covet? The right to exist, a right that is realised in the attention of the Other. Brother, parent, divinity, the Other is the mirror of human identity. The exile in the Land of Nod then sounds like a contrapasso: a desolate and wild heath, which bears the name of 'wanderer, vagabond' like Cain himself.