MARSHY

The choice of Eugenio Tibaldi was not accidental. His ability to analyze and define social and economic scenarios, his ease of relating with people and organizations, his attention to the concept of margin and the aesthetic consequences that derive from it, convinced us that he was the perfect artist for create a site-specific work that speaks of this particular moment in which, after having left the long forced isolation, there was the will to start again with a new set of values and awareness.
During the micro-residences in the area, Tibaldi divided himself between naturalistic excursions and long periods within the company to then decide to focus his attention on the concept of waste: "During the lockdown I felt trapped or rather literally swamped in a place in which the relationship between space and time was completely reversed. An immobility in which it was inevitable to come to terms with the worst aspects of my character and face those parts of myself that I had discarded".
The project developed through a process that lasted over a year, in which Tibaldi entered into a close relationship with the dense industrial fabric of this area of the Marche region, but also with the surrounding natural environment characterized by the presence of numerous marshes or marshy gouaches . Real ecosystems, chosen by migratory birds to rest, were very important in the history of human evolution, constituting the passage point of the first living organisms from the oceans to dry land.
Marshy (in Italian swamp, pond) was born from Tibaldi's fascination for marginal places, liminal spaces, border areas, unstable and vibrating matter. This work overturns the image of the swamp, often used as a metaphor for immobility and a place unsuitable for human settlements unless reclaimed, to enhance its nature as a germinal space par excellence, a generator of unique biodiversity.
For the location of the work, a highly evocative area was identified, located between the two production buildings of the company, from which one can enjoy a privileged view of the historic center of Castelfidardo.

Marshy has a circular pool with a diameter of 12 meters with a small central island, which can be accessed via three paths. Here we find ourselves immersed in artificial elements inspired by the flora and fauna typical of the marshes, created by the artist together with the company's employees using waste materials from production. The environment is inhabited by a varied and colorful community of over 250 birds identified through the administration, to all employees of the Elica group worldwide, of a questionnaire in which they were asked to identify a bird capable of representing them.
Furthermore, among the shrubs and birds appear over 400 cutlery and household utensils that the people of EMC FIME have taken, on the artist's instructions, among the most shabby and useless ones in their kitchen. A discarded environment populated by waste.
The great environmental work is completed by a sound insert - created with maestro Andrea Naspi in collaboration with the historic Pigini accordion company - which imitates the sound of birds, making the experience of the visit completely immersive.
Nothing is real inside the installation. The end result is a place of total suspension, a privileged point inserted within the industrial area to sanction the true non-monumental nature of this work: a "non-place" as the philosopher Marc Augè would define it, a "super place ” Tibaldi defines it. A point away from the spotlight where exchanges and interactions are continuous and spasmodic, a space that becomes a metaphor for the relationship between man and nature, a think tank in which to reflect and reflect.