In the heart of the Sassi of Matera, amid ancient stone and open skies, STRATUM takes shape — a project conceived by CLAY, a hub for artistic research and new technologies, and hosted within the spaces of Momart Gallery. STRATUM is not just an event: it is an experience that invites us to weave connections between past and future, memory and innovation, matter and light.
The project transforms the gallery into a site of stratifications, where each installation and performance becomes a tool for exploring the deeper meaning of perception, questioning the role of art in everyday life and in the construction of collective identity. In STRATUM, the viewer is not a mere spectator: they are a participant, a traveler, a witness to a dialogue between visual, sound, and technological languages.
Eclipse: Art as Living Memory
At the heart of the project, the installation Eclipse rises as both symbol and metaphor. A totem of old televisions projects five short films selected through a national Open Call. The chosen theme, the Eclipse, speaks of images that obscure reality and of light transformed into memory—both intimate and collective. Each short film becomes a mirror in which to reflect, a space where time seems to bend and individual memories intertwine with those of the city.
Alongside the installation, the live A/V performance merges improvisation and sound design. The wind instruments of Angelo Manicone, the percussion of Tommaso Di Marzio, and the electronic textures of Daniele Antezza converse in real time with the visual mappings of InTheMiddle (Federica Mazzoccoli and Francesco Ditaranto), creating an immersive landscape where sound, light, and gesture merge into a single pulsating organism. It is an experience that reveals the power of art as living energy—capable of transforming space and emotion, and of awakening deep and unexpected sensations.
An Open Path for Everyone
STRATUM is not reserved for insiders: it is an invitation to all—from contemporary art enthusiasts to the curious who wish to explore new perceptions. The installations transform the gallery into a sensory landscape, where every detail—an image, a sound, a reflection—tells a story and opens new questions. It is an inclusive experience that demonstrates how the encounter with art can become a moment of discovery and community, capable of connecting people, ideas, and places.
Art as a Regenerative Force
STRATUM was born from the desire to create a dialogue between art and territory, strengthening Matera as a hub of cultural research and innovation. It is a concrete demonstration of how contemporary arts can become tools of cultural regeneration, engines of development, and platforms for dialogue between communities, artists, and the city. The collaboration between Momart Gallery and CLAY generates an ecosystem where historical heritage merges with the most advanced artistic practices, offering a vision of art as transformative energy—capable of redefining space, perspective, and the very perception of the world.
STRATUM is an invitation to look beyond the surface, to uncover the depths of light and shadow, to perceive the city as a stratification of memories and possibilities. It is an experience that broadens the gaze, unsettles perception, and celebrates the power of art as a universal language—able to transform spaces and people, to ignite thought and emotion, to unearth what we are and what we may become..