TW portfolio

As part of our portfolio, we highlight three key events that represent the work accomplished to date and demonstrate our professional expertise. These experiences position us as strong candidates for the role of Artistic Director for UNESCO, showcasing our ability to create impactful artistic and cultural initiatives:

  • AQUA Festival - A multidisciplinary event promoting awareness of water through art, education, and community engagement, hosted in multiple international locations.


  • Through Waters Artistic Platform - A long-term initiative involving artists, researchers, and local communities in a dialogue about water, sustainability, and cultural identity.


  • Collaborations with ARCHIVIO DELLA MEMORIA - Developing educational projects involving schoolchildren in Salina, creating drawings and stories that preserve local heritage and raise awareness about water’s significance.


These projects highlight our ability to merge artistic direction with cultural preservation and sustainability themes, making us well-suited for the UNESCO Artistic Director role.

TIANJIN

THROUGH WATERS

16 november - 18 december 2012

Art Gallery and Creativity Park
XIANGSI / Tianjin

On Friday November 16th, THROUGH WATERS exhibition was opened to the public in Tianjin, at  the Art Gallery and Creativity Park XIANG SI.


Paintings of the artist Cheng Qin were displayed, with the collaboration of MEBO Culture, together with the pictures of international artists involved into the project and the video creation of Alessandro Rolandi.

The Vice Secretary of the Party of  Hebei District, Tianjin Municipality and District Chief Yuan Guangrui, and the Vice District Chief Li Chengyi  were at the opening. Councillor Davide Giglio represented the Embassy of Italy of China. Representatives of the Italian Culture Institute of Beijing, of the Ministry of Education Italy and of the University of Naples L'Orientale with other sponsors travelled to Tianjin from Beijing taked part of the event.

The 57 Secondary School of Tianjin and the French School of Beijing participated with the water-related drawings of the students through the Cloud Drawings installation, created by Italian designer Paolo Altieri.

An activity of Through Waters laboratory for children took place, where the youngest one were invited to express themselves about their perception of water.

The Tianjin String Quartet of Tianjin performed a concert, followed by the screening of the documentary The Well -  water voices from Ethiopia, about the social and cultural meaning of water distribution in a rural area of Ethiopia. 

Many students, artists and regional  media attended the inauguration ceremony.  The exhibition was opened to the public until the 18th December recording a notable success, according to the Xiang Si Gallery representatives.

Supported by CIDIC.

VENICE 

VISUALIZING WATER WORLDS

30th june - 31th october 2015
Arsenale di Venezia / tesa

With the representatives of Comune di Venezia, Unesco Venice, Civiltà dell'Acqua, Vela group, Through Waters inaugurated the 30th june 2015 VISUALIZING WATER WORLDS in Venice.

We start to expose a first group of selected works of photographers, and with us Paolo Scoppola who installed AquaBoll a interactive video installation realized for Through Waters 2015 in the spaces of the Tesa 105, Arsenale.

Drawing Cloud collects the works of students worldwide and in this occasion we introduced the  contribution of the students of Lycée Chateaubriand Rome.

The event will be open until the 31th October 2015 free entrace and want to aware the relation between man and environment as a dialogue of reciprocity. 

We cannot be separate from water, we are water. This why we bring into this event AquaBoll. We want to promote water intended as an element that supports and holds in all life.

Water surrounds us before we were born, in and out of our bodies every day, we welcomes the deep blue sea. We are water. Observe and become in touch with water its means first of all take care of ourselves, and protect this precious element.

With the collaboration of UNESCO , Civiltà dell'Acqua, Comune di Venezia and Vela, Through waters will be in Venice, the city of water. We offer to the citizens and visitors the occasion of an interesting journey through art documentaries screening and workshop with children. 

Paolo Scoppola, involved into the TW project of awareness of water value, will present personally his work AquaBoll, an experience that gives the visitors the occasion to be actor into the world of water and feelings.

A big screen welcomes the audience with background music. As soon as someone approaches, AquaBoll start drawing the outlines of the audience, in a continuous overlapping forms. The colors are taken from seawater and alternating with white lines reminiscent of the surf. It 'a continuous floating in colors and shapes that evoke the natural relationship between man and water. The gestures of the spectators are then accompanied by the sound of the waves, the intensity of which depends upon the movements, giving the illusion that these trails of color are precisely the waves of the sea.

The sound, the colors, its unpredictability, its poetry and its reality to live with and protect, WATER.

SALINA

AQUA 2023
Festival for Water

8-10 September 2023
santa marina di salina - malfa - leni

About AQUA

AQUA is an annual festival dedicated to promoting awareness about water conservation and sustainability through a multidisciplinary approach. Hosted on the island of Salina, the festival brings together artists, scientists, and the local community to foster dialogue and inspire change.

After more than ten years on the island of Salina, TW launched the AQUA Festival, with its first edition in 2022. AQUA 2022 was conceived to promote water and its uses, creating spaces for sharing and dialogue. The festival's core mission is to highlight and raise awareness of the importance and preciousness of water and the sea.

The AQUA Festival is set to the picturesque island of Salina, bringing together artists, experts, and the local community to explore and celebrate the essential value of water. AQUA is more than a festival; it is a movement that aims to raise awareness of the importance of water through art, science, and community engagement. The event hosts each year renowned artists whose works reflect the profound relationship between humans and water, as well as scientists and environmental experts who shares insights on water-related challenges and solutions.

One of the festival’s highlights is the involvement of local schools, allowing students to engage directly with experts and artists. Through interactive workshops and discussions, young minds will be encouraged to reflect on their role in water preservation and environmental stewardship.

The direct projects aim to enhance the value of water in all its forms through dialogue with experts working to protect the sea and water sources. This initiative creates an artistic and educational platform where students and young people can interact and contribute. The educational program includes video portraits, animated cartoons, and drawings involving visitors, the local population, and their institutions.

The artistic programs of TW, directed and coordinated by Christina Sassayannis and Paolo Altieri in project execution and design, involve experienced professionals from the Archive of Memory Sergio Pelliccioni e Marilena Iaffaldano as partners in the proposed educational programs. These initiatives align with the festival's objectives of raising awareness and fostering discussions on water and marine conservation.

Through Waters, led by its founder and curator, anthropologist Christina Sassayannis, seeks to promote events and activities where artists, professionals, and visitors engage in dialogue, exploring personal and collective perceptions of water. The festival provides a multidisciplinary approach, allowing participants to navigate diverse artistic expressions where water is not just the protagonist but a fundamental connector.

Since its inception, AQUA has been hosted in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Qingdao, Sarajevo, Salina, Venice, Barcelona, and Rome. The 2022 edition embarked on a three-day journey encompassing various artistic forms. The program included documentary screenings portraying social and cultural realities, particularly those of the Aeolian archipelago. A digital storytelling workshop engaged students and local residents in the entire creative process, from concept development to audiovisual post-production.

One of the standout performances was The Image of Water by Marcela Szurkalo, an interdisciplinary piece where the artist interacted with the location and its connection to water, exploring Mediterranean traditions. The performance, curated by Alice Penconi with video effects by Mattia Mariani, reflected on cultural identities born around water.

Additionally, the festival presented the Almoraima group, which premiered Desertsong, featuring fifteen original compositions blending Arab-Andalusian sounds with Mediterranean musical traditions. This unique project brought together musicians Massimiliano Almoraima (oud), Saleem Anichini (viola and violin), Giovanni Ceresoli (flamenco guitar), and Matteo Resta (electric bass).

Complementing the festival’s artistic landscape was the Drawing Cloud installation, showcasing drawings created by schoolchildren, alongside an international photography exhibition highlighting the theme of water. In collaboration with ARCHIVIO DELLA MEMORIA, children from Salina’s schools created drawings and stories, further enriching the festival’s educational outreach.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Salina, AQUA seeks to inspire both locals and visitors to rethink their relationship with water and embrace sustainable practices. Through exhibitions, performances, and educational activities, the festival will spark meaningful conversations about water’s role in our daily lives and the urgent need to protect this vital resource.