BETWEEN LAND AND SEA is a political encounter, and a programme of original artistic and theatrical productions developed and presented between Palermo, Tunis, and Bremen. It creates the first participatory and long-term creative collaboration between the three port cities, acting as a bridge between Europe and the Maghreb and between the South and the North of Europe.
PALERMO
Transnational encounters between art and politics
24 MAY TO 9 JUNE 2024
BETWEEN LAND AND SEA is a series of transnational encounters in arts and politics that examine and critically reflect the existing connections between Mediterranean cities and their intertwined histories linked by global migration, environment, urbanism, food, agriculture, climate, and heritage.
The encounters address some burning socio-economic and environmental challenges with a series of artistic productions and political gatherings that are both locally embedded and strengthening transnational links, inventing new ways to come together across borders and develop solidarity narratives.
The 2024 edition focused on local artists and their work, while also opening the island towards long-term collaboration with artists and researchers from the neighbouring Mediterranean and the African continent through a multidisciplinary program across theatre, dance, photography, architecture, sustainability, public discussions, performance and music. The artists look closely at different clues that the city of Palermo and its surroundings points to them, following its rhizomatic relationships to other places in the world.
The festival opened at ARCI Porco Rosso with This is My Home, an exhibition and discussion that delved into the story of the informal settlement of Campobello di Mazara. The settlement, which had provided a home and a sense of community for thousands of seasonal workers, was abruptly demolished in May 2023, leaving only piles of wood and metal behind. The exhibition sought to reconstruct this erased space through photographs, personal testimonies, eviction notices, and maps, offering a glimpse into the lives of those who lived there. The discussion, moderated by activist and social worker Giulia Gianguzza, featured former residents, activists, and humanitarian workers who had witnessed these realities firsthand. The evening concluded with a dinner organized by the Baye Fall collective, where food became a way to share experiences and traditions, turning the first day of the festival into a moment of collective reflection and community.
On May 26, the festival moved to the Museo Civico di Castelbuono for the opening of Mamma Perdonami / Mëma më fal, an exhibition by artist Genny Petrotta. This project revisited the little-known history of the Repubblica Popolare Contadina (People’s Peasant Republic) of Piana degli Albanesi, a short-lived revolution led by a group of young rebels in 1944. For fifty days, these revolutionaries resisted the alliance of landowners and political elites, advocating for the rights of the poorest farmers. However, their struggle was violently crushed, and their story faded into silence. Through a poetic reappropriation of this forgotten history, Petrotta, the grandniece of one of the rebel leaders, recreated a lost theater play that had once told the story of the revolution. The exhibition, which included a video installation and a book, became a way to reclaim a political and cultural legacy that had been buried for decades.
On the evening of May 30, Konami: The Football Dance took center stage at the Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara. This performance, created by the transnational ensemble La Fleur, explored the unique connection between football, dance, and migration, focusing on Konami, a street dance style from the Ivory Coast that merges football movements with Coupé-Décalé music. Through a blend of choreography, storytelling, and music, the performance narrated the journeys of young African footballers who dream of making it big in Europe, revealing the complexities of migration, fame, and economic disparity. Directed by Monika Gintersdorfer, with performers Annick Choco, Ordinateur, and Timor Litzenberger, the show brought to life the realities of transnational mobility in the world of sports and entertainment.
The following day, the festival continued in Palermo with a full day dedicated to urban regeneration. The morning began with a site visit to the Ex-Chimica Arenella, an abandoned industrial complex on the waterfront, followed by a guided walk through the seaside township led by the Laboratorio Quartiere Arenella. In the afternoon, Palazzo Butera hosted a series of discussions reflecting on the future of the Arenella area. Inspired by the format of the Serpentine Marathons by Hans Ulrich Obrist, the event gathered architects, urban planners, and activists to discuss new models for transforming neglected urban spaces. Figures such as Paola Viganò, Michael Obrist, and Tom Emerson shared insights on sustainable design, governance, and community-led initiatives. The conversations emphasized the importance of preserving social and cultural ties while reimagining spaces for future generations.
On June 3, the festival took a musical turn with a concert by Dolphins into the Future and Monopoly Star Child Searchers, two legendary figures in Europe’s underground music scene. Their performance created an immersive sonic landscape, blending electronic experimentation with field recordings and ambient textures. Through their sound explorations, they evoked both real and imaginary geographies, offering the audience a meditative and otherworldly experience.
The festival’s final stretch brought a focus on ecological narratives and artistic research. Saplings, an exhibition by Elisa Bertuzzo and Doireann O’Malley, explored the stories of seeds that had traveled from Bangladesh to Italy, carried by migrants and cultivated for over a decade across the country. The project examined these plants as living archives of migration, resilience, and cultural memory. Later in the evening, writer and philosopher Edoardo Camurri, accompanied by musician Federico Pipia, presented the lecture-performance Introduzione alla Realtà. Through a poetic and thought-provoking journey, Camurri invited the audience to reconsider their perception of reality, uncovering hidden layers of everyday life.
The festival culminated in a three-day summit across different venues in Palermo, tackling urgent themes such as colonial legacies, post-conflict cultures, and informal settlements. On June 7, at Piazza Due Palme and Teatro Biondo, scholars and activists gathered to discuss colonial residues, questioning the lingering effects of colonialism on contemporary society. The evening featured the theatrical performance الجبل EL by Simone Mannino and the Mediterranean Theatre Ensemble, a powerful exploration of migration and exile.
On June 8 at Piazza Mediterraneo expanded the discussion with panels on post-conflict cultures, informal settlements, and handmade connections, co-curated by international collectives from Kosovo, Brussels, and Palermo. The day ended with a screening of Les Sauteurs / Those Who Jump, a documentary capturing the harsh realities of migrants stranded at the border of Europe.
On June 9, the summit concluded at Danisinni with a reflection on tourist economies and resisting gardens. These discussions examined how tourism reshapes urban landscapes and how green spaces can become sites of resistance and renewal.
