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Music

TerraformaExo: rethinking the festival as a cultural experience.

words: Tatiana Tardio

02.05

TerraformaExo: rethinking the festival as a cultural experience.

TerraformaExo: rethinking the festival as a cultural experience.

Threes Productions launches TerraformaExo , a new cultural experience that explores the language of sound in the urban context. The event, scheduled for 15 and 16 June in Milan’s Sempione Park, offers concerts, installations and meetings focused on the soundscape and the relationship between man and the environment. The term “exo” reflects the idea of existing outside to understand what is inside, a concept rooted in the ethos of Terraforma.

TerraformaExo profiles itself as an innovative cultural experience, ready to come to life in the heart of Milan in the evocative setting of Sempione Park. A unique opportunity to discover how site-specific experimentation can transform not only physical spaces, but also our way of perceiving the world around us.

In this interview, we explored the main goals of TerraformaExo ‘s main objectives with respect to site-specific experimentation and how this new incarnation of the festival differs from previous editions, with an in-depth look at the new musical artistic directions and the fundamental role that the festival takes on in the context of valorising Italian cultural heritage and encouraging social engagement through music and contemporary culture.

We talked about it with Ruggero Pietromarchi , curator of TerraformaExo , to discover the details of this new cultural adventure and how it can influence the panorama of Italian festivals.

What are the main objectives of TerraformaExo with respect to site-specific experimentation and how does it differ from previous editions of the Terraforma festival?

TerraformaExo is a new cultural event that will be held on 15 and 16 June in the ecosystem of Parco Sempione in Milan. You can certainly find the distinctive atmosphere of the park, very different from that of Villa Arconati. As you well know, the festival at Villa Arconati was intimately linked to that context, especially to the park which remained abandoned for years. The intent was precisely to “terraform” the place, that is, not only to promote music, sound and culture, but also to regenerate the site, in particular by collaborating with the Augusto Rancilio Foundation for the restoration of the historic park and the garden of Villa Arconati.

Naturally, within Sempione Park other, more institutional dynamics meet, being in the heart of the city, next to important institutions such as the Milan Triennale. The goal is even more ambitious, focused on the reflection of the soundscape and the environment around us, with particular attention to noise pollution. Music remains the main language, but other tools will also be used to address this theme.

With the more dynamic and complex implementation of the festival format, what new approaches to musical artistic direction will be introduced, and how are these expected to improve or change the audience’s interaction with the music and their surroundings?

We don’t want to be just academic or critical, we always want to maintain a strong emotional element. This is precisely what continues to make me love this job and what I do so deeply. The artists, the musicians, those who are part of this scene, are much more than simple performers; they often bring with them stories to tell. I have embraced an approach that goes beyond just performing, that raises issues that go far beyond music, addressing social, ecological and many other issues. This is what we intend to do: transform these spaces through these practices and these people.

Considering the important growth of music as a means of social commitment, how important do you think it is that festivals like TerraformaExo can contribute to the protection and enhancement of Italian cultural heritage, reinterpreting it through contemporary languages?

I believe it is fundamental, in the sense that all our work at Threes Productions as a cultural enterprise is oriented in this direction. Simply put, what does Italy want to do in 2024? It is a very simplistic discussion, but in my opinion very effective: the great advantage we have in Italy, but dare I say in Europe, is our cultural heritage.

Therefore, in my opinion, it is essential to protect and enhance it, something that we do very badly in Italy. This was also the starting point of the work carried out at Villa Arconati. Originally a villa of delight in the eighteenth century, over the years it was no longer able to sustain itself economically and fell into disrepair. Subsequently, a commercial development was attempted which was blocked by the superintendent, plunging the property into a sort of limbo, where it began to deteriorate.

And this is what is happening in many sites, episodes and places throughout Italy. In my opinion, this is the key reflection: these places not only need to be protected, preserved and restored, but also reinterpreted. And this is where we come into play and into discussion on this topic, because we can effectively create a reinterpretation of these places through contemporary languages, building a future for them and generating a circular economy that makes them functional.

The Sónar is a prime example. Club to Club in Turin is also a multidimensional dimension in the city, capable of reinterpreting institutional places through contemporary, diversified contents, which enhance the place and generate curiosity and enthusiasm. This has given rise to large virtuous circles of economy and culture. Therefore, I firmly believe in this synergy.

What are, in your opinion, the aspects that should push people to participate in TerraformaExo, considering its uniqueness in the panorama of Italian festivals?

Because, first of all, there will be contents that will arrive in Italy for the first time, some even for the first time in Milan, as many of them will be conceived specifically for these spaces. We are working on a sound installation with Caterina Barbieri on the Torre Branca, which will be absolutely extraordinary.

There will be the possibility of immersing yourself in an Acusmonium with an acousmatic music program created specifically for the occasion. In short, there will be quite unique experiences that cannot be found elsewhere, and this is certainly an important aspect. Plus, there are the people who attend the festival every year who make the experience so special. I have always been attracted to the community that forms around the festival; for me, it was a fundamental element for the sustainability of the festival to create a network of aligned minds.

Therefore, in my opinion, this element will remain. We already brought this out in our first announcement, where we highlighted all the collaborations with Obscure Records, Gatto Verde, Times , etc. The intention is that the festival remains a meeting point, an aligned community, and this, in my opinion, is always an excellent reason to participate, because you know that the festival presents few names, but always carefully selected and organized in a rather unique.

This is what we want to do, bring together people like David Toop and liuwutang, creating a super minimal but highly precise short circuit.

ENG VERSION

Threes Productions launches TerraformaExo, a new cultural experience exploring sound language in the urban context. The event, scheduled for June 15 and 16 in Milan’s Sempione Park, offers concerts, installations, and meetings focused on the soundscape and the relationship between humans and the environment. The term “exo” reflects the idea of existing outside to understand what is inside, a concept rooted in Terraforma’s ethos.

TerraformaExo looms as an innovative cultural experience, ready to come to life in the heart of Milan in the evocative setting of Sempione Park. It is a unique opportunity to discover how site-specific experimentation can transform not only physical spaces but also the way we perceive the world around us.

In this interview, we explored the main goals of TerraformaExo concerning site-specific experimentation and how this new incarnation of the festival differs from previous editions, with an in-depth look at new artistic, and musical directions and the fundamental role the festival takes in the context of enhancing Italian cultural heritage and encouraging social engagement through contemporary music and culture.

We talked about it with Ruggero Pietromarchi, curator of TerraformaExo, to find out the details of this new cultural adventure and how it may influence the Italian festival scene.

What are Terraforma Exo’s main goals regarding site-specific experimentation, and how does it differ from previous editions of the Terraforma festival?

TerraformaExo is a new cultural event to be held on June 15 and 16 in the ecosystem of Milan’s Sempione Park. You can undoubtedly find the distinctive atmosphere of the park, which is very different from that of Villa Arconati. As you well know, the festival at Villa Arconati was intimately linked to that context, especially to the park that has been neglected for years. The intent was precisely to “terraform” the place, that is, not only to promote music, sound, and culture but also to regenerate the site, particularly by collaborating with the Augusto Rancilio Foundation to restore the historic park and garden of Villa Arconati.

Of course, within Sempione Park, we encounter other, more institutional dynamics, being in the heart of the city and next to prominent institutions such as the Milan Triennale. The goal is even more ambitious, focusing on the reflection of the soundscape and the environment around us, with particular attention to noise pollution. Music remains the main language, but other tools will also be used to address this issue.

With the more dynamic and complex implementation of the festival format, what new approaches to music art direction will be introduced, and how are these expected to improve or change the audience’s interaction with the music and its surroundings?

We don’t want to be just academic or critical; we always want to maintain a vital emotional element. That continues to make me love this work and what I do so sincerely. The artists, the musicians, and those who are part of this scene are more than just performers; they often bring with them stories to tell. I have embraced an approach beyond just performing, raising issues far beyond music, and addressing social, ecological, and many other problems. This is what we intend to do: transform these spaces through these practices and these people.

Considering the growth of music as a means of social engagement, how important do you think it is that festivals like TerraformaExo can contribute to the protection and enhancement of Italian cultural heritage by reinterpreting it through contemporary languages?

I think it is fundamental in the sense that all our work at Threes Productions as a cultural enterprise is oriented in this direction. Banally, Italy in 2024, what does it want to do? It is a very simplistic, but in my opinion very effective speech: the great advantage we have in Italy, but I dare say in Europe, is our cultural heritage.

So, it is crucial to protect and enhance it, which we know how to do very poorly in Italy. This was also the starting point of the work done at Villa Arconati. Originally a villa of delight in the 18th century, as the years went by, it could no longer sustain itself economically and fell into disrepair. Later, a commercial development was attempted that was blocked by the superintendency, plunging the property into a limbo, in which it deteriorated.

And this is what is happening in many sites, episodes and places throughout Italy. In my opinion, this is the key reflection: these places not only need to be protected, preserved and restored, but also reinterpreted. And this is where we come into play and discussion on this issue, because we can actually create a reinterpretation of these places through contemporary languages, building a future for them. This reinterpretation, in turn, can generate a circular economy that not only makes these places functional but also brings significant economic benefits.

Sónar is a first example. Club to Club in Turin is also a multidimensional dimension in the city, capable of reinterpreting institutional places through contemporary, diverse content that enhances the place and generates curiosity and enthusiasm. This has given rise to great virtuous circles of economy and culture. Therefore, I firmly believe in this synergy.

What do you think are the aspects that should push people to attend TerraformaExo, considering its uniqueness in the panorama of Italian festivals?

First of all, content will be coming to Italy for the first time, some even for the first time in Milan, as many of them will be conceived specifically for these spaces. We are working on a sound installation with Caterina Barbieri on the Torre Branca, which will be extraordinary.

Immersing oneself in an Acusmonium with an acousmatic music program created especially for the occasion will be possible. In short, there will be unique experiences that cannot be found anywhere else, which is an important aspect. Also, there are the people who attend the festival every year who make the experience so special. I have always been attracted to the community that forms around the festival; for me, it has been a critical element in the festival’s sustainability to create a network of aligned minds.

So, this element will remain. We already brought it out in our first announcement, highlighting all the collaborations with Obscure Records, Green Cat, Times, etc. The intention is for the festival to remain a meeting point, an aligned community, and that, in my opinion, is always a great reason to attend because you know that the festival features a few names, but always carefully selected and organized in a unique way.

That’s what we want to do: bring people like David Toop and Liuwutang together to create a super minimal but highly precise short circuit.

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