(ANSAmed) - OTRANTO (LECCE), JANUARY 27 - Otranto, the most
eastern city of Italy and symbol of the Mediterranean, will have
a new work of modern art called "The Landing, for Migrant
Humanity". The artwork will be unveiled on Sunday January 29 in
the port of the city. The work itself is the Kater I Rades, the
Albanian boat that clashed with a ship of the Italian navy in
1997 in the Strait of Otranto with 120 people on board. Only 34
people survived the accident, 57 died, most of them women and
children and 24 bodies were never found.
That vessel, symbolising all landings in Italy, has been turned
into a special work of art by the famous Greek sculptor Costas
Varostos. It will be a symbol of acceptance and solidarity
between people.
This incredible reconstruction and recreation has been made
possible by the tenacity of a humanitarian organisation,
Integra, of the parents of the victims, the Municipality of
Otranto, the Council Office for Youth Policies and the
Mediterranean Cultural Institute of the Province of Lecce.
The Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean
has given strong support to the project, organising an
international workshop together with the Artemisia organisation,
with eight young artists coming in from various European
countries. They have organised a real journey of "research" and
"discovery" into the artwork.
The Permanent Conference of the Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM)
has supported the initiative as media-partner, giving publicity
to the project and working together with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International
Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Italian Committee for
Refugees (CIR).
Today this project aims to be a starting point for the creation
of an international atelier where creativity and migration come
together through a programme of art, workshops, seminars and
debates, meant to generate a widespread network of relations and
activities. (ANSAmed).
