The central theme of this edition, “Significato” guided all activities, prompting artists and audiences to question how meanings are constructed, imposed, or reclaimed in a contemporary context marked by crisis and the fragmentation of language. The various initiatives explored these questions through perspectives that intertwine bodies, territories, histories, and narratives.

Mediterranean: Exploration of myth, migration, erasure, and resistance through film screenings on diasporic memory and performances created with local and migrant communities.
Ecology and interspecies relations: Investigation of land and sea as living archives through field workshops on coastal ecosystems, site-specific installations, collective readings on the sea, and rituals centered on care and environmental fragility.
Architecture and territorial politics: Analysis of how space is shaped and governed through meetings with urban researchers, sound works in abandoned sites, and assemblies on new forms of spatial solidarity and civic governance.

The first part of the program, held in early November, alternated workshops, exhibitions, performances, talks, and concerts across various locations in the city. Contemporary art found space in installations such as “Above You, Above Me” by Abdel Karim Ougri, while performative and discursive practices included “Toward Dissolution” by Anna Engelhardt.

The central days of the festival took place at the Teatro Garibaldi, where performances and musical events followed one another. These included the concert “Palestinian Sound Archive” by Majazz Project in collaboration with Chullu Agency, and the performance “Barrani – The Double Absence” by Corps Citoyen. Participatory works such as “E se…?” by Malomodo and civic assemblies promoted by Scuola di Restanza e Futuro further reinforced the festival’s engagement with public space and collective processes.

The program also included theatrical and literary moments such as “Silence du Coeur” with Marie Aurore d’Awans, alongside contributions by Eva Maria Bertschy, Daniela Macaluso, and Bandiougou Diawara, as well as the theatre production “Butchers Capsule” by Gloria Dorliguzzo.

The festival stood out for its interdisciplinary and inclusive nature, moving across different languages — from philosophy to theatre, from music to activism — and engaging diverse audiences, including children and local communities. Overall, Between Land and Sea 2025 represented an opportunity for shared reflection on the present, using art and culture as tools to question and redefine the very concept of “meaning” in the contemporary world.