Artist-in-Residence at MUSE in Trento, Italy
In December 2022, I was able to travel to Trento, Italy as the first artist in residence at MUSE (Museo delle Scienze), learning about the Dolomites with scientists and biologists prior to building a permanent installation there. There are 70 glaciers remaining in that part of the Alps. The Marmolada Glacier (Ghiacciaio della Marmolada) is now predicted to disappear in the next two decades. As part of artist Stefano Cagol's initiative, I have been able to work with scientists studying insects that live off of the bacteria on glacial silt, the future reservoir water infrastructure that may hold substantial melt, and the geologic strata that can trace extinction events separated by hundreds of millions of years.
The Muse commissioned a Water Clock for permanent display, press release below:
Acclamata più volte anche dal New York Times per il suo impegno sui temi dell’ecologia, Mary Mattingly (US) è stata la prima artista in residenza ospitata dal MUSE. Nel dicembre 2022 ha incontrato esperte ed esperti in scienza, biologia, botanica, geologia, glaciologia, e visitato il territorio, spingendosi fin sulle Dolomiti a vedere i bacini per la produzione idroelettrica.
Da questa esperienza è nata l’opera “Lacrima”, un orologio ad acqua, che misura idealmente il tempo del clima, in particolare delle Dolomiti e del ghiacciaio della Marmolada. Invita a riflettere sulle acque dei nostri ghiacciai che corrono via, sulla terra che racchiude questo bene prezioso, sulle falde acquifere che preservano nel suolo e nel tempo questa risorsa, sull’importanza di antiche tradizioni custodi del rapporto con l’acqua.
Acclaimed several times also by the New York Times for her commitment to ecological issues, Mary Mattingly (US) was the first artist-in-residence hosted by MUSE. In December 2022, she met with scientists, biologists, botanists, geologists and glaciologists, and visited the area, going as far as the Dolomites to see the reservoirs for hydroelectric production.
From this experience, the work ‘Lacrima’ was born, a water clock which ideally measures the time of the climate, particularly of the Dolomites and the Marmolada glacier. It invites us to reflect on the waters of our glaciers that run away, on the land that holds this precious good, on the aquifers that preserve this resource in the soil and in time, on the importance of ancient traditions that guard the relationship with water.
