Exhibitions, Italy, Trento, Rovereto, 22 June 2014
The Concept. On July 28th, 1914 World War I breaks out. From this very moment, the life of all Europeans and beyond boundaries, remaining indelibly etched in history and in memory as one of the most horrible moments of modern time. The sense of precariousness slowly transforms into a feeling of finality in the souls of all those who are directly or indirectly involved. The Great War leaves its mark on an era and its people. Poets, writers, and artists have felt the need to talk about it, to recount it, and to bear their testimony to all about the things they often experienced directly on the front.
The value of human life is annulled, and with it the understanding of existence by all the contemporaries of that period, (many of whom will bear witness to a second conflict in the latter half of the century), as well as those will follow, who in their memories will be laden with the memories of their parents and grandparents, whose suffering, in turn, has become entrenched as part of their existence. The time period known as “the short 20th century” is characterized by wars regarding supremacy and domination in Europe. The aberration of this notion is what spawned the dictatorships and Nazism that so horribly blemish this era in European history.
And it is this aberration of the notions of war and death that eventually gives rise to a period of profound reflection regarding the necessity for peace and cooperation among peoples. As it were, war and suffering also provided the impetus for developing the idea of creating the “Maria Dolens” (the Bell of Peace), an evocative name that seems to bear the burden of all the pain and suffering that humanity, in all its frailty, could not withstand. Bells have always served as powerful folk symbols and icons of congregation, (in medieval times bells were rung to summon people to convene).
Maria Dolens was forged by melting the bronze of cannons from the nations involved in the Great War – a fortuitous and revolutionary concept that provides a vision that is both completely novel, yet very contemporary.
The “Maria Dolens” affirms the fundamental principle that the development of a society does not occur from the submission of one country to another, but through mutual cooperation that aims at enriching the civil, cultural and political lives of all citizens. It is no longer “the empire”, but democracy, the participation of the people, and government by the people via specific laws and a constitution, that guarantee peace between nations and completely exclude wars.
The „Maria Dolens” itself serves as a reminder for mankind to never forget its true essence.
The value of human life is annulled, and with it the understanding of existence by all the contemporaries of that period, (many of whom will bear witness to a second conflict in the latter half of the century), as well as those will follow, who in their memories will be laden with the memories of their parents and grandparents, whose suffering, in turn, has become entrenched as part of their existence. The time period known as “the short 20th century” is characterized by wars regarding supremacy and domination in Europe. The aberration of this notion is what spawned the dictatorships and Nazism that so horribly blemish this era in European history.
And it is this aberration of the notions of war and death that eventually gives rise to a period of profound reflection regarding the necessity for peace and cooperation among peoples. As it were, war and suffering also provided the impetus for developing the idea of creating the “Maria Dolens” (the Bell of Peace), an evocative name that seems to bear the burden of all the pain and suffering that humanity, in all its frailty, could not withstand. Bells have always served as powerful folk symbols and icons of congregation, (in medieval times bells were rung to summon people to convene).
Maria Dolens was forged by melting the bronze of cannons from the nations involved in the Great War – a fortuitous and revolutionary concept that provides a vision that is both completely novel, yet very contemporary.
The “Maria Dolens” affirms the fundamental principle that the development of a society does not occur from the submission of one country to another, but through mutual cooperation that aims at enriching the civil, cultural and political lives of all citizens. It is no longer “the empire”, but democracy, the participation of the people, and government by the people via specific laws and a constitution, that guarantee peace between nations and completely exclude wars.
The „Maria Dolens” itself serves as a reminder for mankind to never forget its true essence.
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