Art a part of cult(ure), a cracking independent magazine founded and run by women that focuses on the Italian and European art and culture scene, has dedicated a lovely feature to the Favignana quarry ecomuseum.
“The Underground Cathedral: The Favignana Quarries and Marine Environment Ecomuseum – Egadi Islands archipelago, Sicily. Museums preserve memory and beauty in collections of endless cultural heritage. At the coordinates 37°55′34″N 12°19′16″E, with 33 kilometres of coastline sketching the shape of a butterfly whose wingbeats release pure energy in the absence of chronic illnesses linked to industrialisation, the island of Favignana exists within the Egadi archipelago.”
Experiencing the present by preserving the past, wandering through underground tunnels in a stillness filled with memories and evocative feelings that confront the very essence of things. It’s about finding balance in immersions between caves and the sea, re-evaluating the actions and sacrifices of the quarrymen and fishermen, both emerging from echoes of ancient depths to redeem the present.
Plays of light and archaeology, multimedia and massive rocks welcome visitors and scholars along a path that revisits deeds, visions, and imaginings for learning and study, discovery and wonder – a lesson aimed at a society where dreaming has become a luxury.
The toil of humankind is central to the search for sightings and recoveries, in an adventure that journeys back through history to suggest understanding and agreement with good technology.
The proposal is a serious one, spanning centuries of hard graft to flow into contemporary work, preserving collective thought in the art of continuity.
The arms of humankind knead silent sacrifice into necessity, with steadfastness and sea salt, far removed from web-based information and TikTok cultures, upholding added value and creating a distinction in the impact between primordial and artificial intelligences.
“Down in the Quattro Vanelle area, this immersive journey into Favignana’s culture places the innovative underground museum between cutting-edge technologies and the discovery of millennia of history. You can explore everything from the extraction techniques used by the local quarrymen, known as ‘pirriaturi’, to listening to seafaring legends through virtual navigation of the pristine seabed in the Egadi marine protected area. There’s also videomapping projected onto the cave walls, underwater cameras offering live views of the seabed, wall screens, and aquariums with native and non-native marine species to observe up close.
The full version is available here: Enza Monetti’s Article
