RUBEN MONTINI: Questo Anonimato E’ Sovversivo

The goal of the project is to invite the audience to collaborate on the execution of an artwork using the medium of hand-embroidery. Moving towards each European Country, it aims to create a colossal hand embroidery piece that will be the result of the cooperation between people living across the EU.

During the journey, people who practice hand embroidery, not only on a professional scale, but also as a free time activity or a hobby, and also people who simply want to experiment their skills, are invited to contribute to the project. Thus, they are asked to intervene directly on the same fabric, a white cotton cloth which measures approximately 30 meters (length) by 1.50 meters (width). They are welcome to occupy any space of the cloth, empty or already taken by other participants, and to feel free to express themselves using the embroidery as medium, with no restrictions nor borders, just like the EU should be. Each participant’s contribution will be a significant addition to the final piece. However, when losing the specificity and recognisability as an individual work, it will culminate in a special dialogue, a unique motif that metaphorically expresses the beauty of the EU, a melting pot of different people, sharing common grounds and similar cultural backgrounds.

The work began at the end of April 2017 when students and teachers at the Royal School of Needlework have worked for an entire day on the white cotton cloth. Subsequently, the project has travelled to Berlin, hosted by the Museum Europäischer Kulturen where, on the 10th of June, visitors and participants were able to carry on the work started in London and add their own new motifs on the sheet. On the 30th of September, the event was performed at MAN_Museo d’Arte Provincia di Nuoro, in Sardinia. On the 30th of May 2018, the project took place at MCK in Split, Croatia. On the 7th of October, the project was performed at the Designcentrum in Östersund, Sweden. On the 18th of October, Questo Anonimato É Sovversivo took place at the House of the Arts in Brno, Czech Republic, curated by Martin Vanek.

The project has then travelled also to Athens, Nicosia, Madrid, Dublin, Brussels and Vilnius, in public and private institutions. Due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the project has been shipped to private homes in Countries such as France, Portugal, Malta, Poland and Bulgaria. During the journey photographer Ela Bialkowska documents the entire journey and every single encounter. Documentation of the work carried out during lockdown have been made by the precious help of each participant in his/her own house.

Recently the project was hosted by Casino Luxembourg (live event) and by Museum Arnhem (with an online presentation and interaction with the audience). The work, therefore, will be completed by a printed catalogue composed by a selection of photographs and videos illustrating the entire journey.