This video installation was created in collaboration with the students of the Brera Art High School in Milan. The project is dedicated to Cascinet, also known as Cascina Sant’Ambrogio, a historic farmhouse in Milan. It was commissioned by Bepart and Fremiti, in collaboration with the Brera Art High School and Fedora.
The work began with the students visiting Cascinet to document the space through photography, video, and sound recordings. Cascinet is a place rich in history and transformation — a magical corner of nature within the city. Once a convent, later a farmhouse, and now a vibrant cultural hub, it holds an ancient apse with a fresco still visible inside. In the early 2000s, a group of talented and visionary young Milanese took over the space, reviving it and turning it into a joyful gathering place for the community. Over time, it has welcomed residents, travelers, and today it also hosts artists’ residencies. Some amazing local artists continue to work here with sculpture and watercolor. I myself was a guest during the workshop and can say it was a truly unique experience.
After their fieldwork, the students participated in a week-long digital arts workshop I led. Using the cut-out animation technique, they created six collage landscapes of Cascinet — visions of its past, present, and imagined future. The result was a surprising, collective, and visionary narrative that reminds us how much the future depends on what we do today.
Below are some of the animated collages, which I combined into a single long shot moving from left to right, like a dolly shot. The final video was projection-mapped onto the façade of the farmhouse.
The installation was presented alongside a theatre performance by the incredibly talented group PAT – Passi Teatrali.
