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 water conservation and sustainability through art, science, and community engagement. Launched in 2022 on the island of Salina by TW, the festival creates spaces for dialogue to raise awareness of the essential value of water and the sea.
The event brings together renowned artists, scientists, and environmental experts, offering installations, workshops, and discussions that explore humanity’s connection to water. A special focus is placed on local schools, engaging students in interactive activities to inspire the next generation in water conservation.
Directed by Christina Sassayannis and Paolo Altieri, the festival collaborates with the Archive of Memory, Sergio Pelliccioni, and Marilena Iaffaldano to develop innovative educational programs. AQUA is more than a festival—it’s a movement for a sustainable future.
Through Waters & AQUA Festival
Through Waters, founded and curated by anthropologist Christina Sassayannis, creates spaces for artists, professionals, and visitors to explore personal and collective perceptions of water. More than a festival, AQUA is a multidisciplinary platform where water is not just a subject but a vital connector.
Since its inception, AQUA has traveled through cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Qingdao, Sarajevo, Salina, Venice, Barcelona, and Rome. The 2022 edition spanned three days, featuring documentary screenings on social and cultural realities—particularly of the Aeolian archipelago—alongside a digital storytelling workshop that engaged students and locals in every step of the creative process.
Standout performances included The Image of Water by Marcela Szurkalo, an interdisciplinary piece exploring Mediterranean traditions through movement and multimedia effects by Mattia Mariani. The Almoraima group premiered Desertsong, blending Arab-Andalusian and Mediterranean sounds, featuring musicians Massimiliano Almoraima (oud), Saleem Anichini (viola/violin), Giovanni Ceresoli (flamenco guitar), and Matteo Resta (electric bass).
The festival also showcased Drawing Cloud, an installation of student artworks, and an international photography exhibition on water. In collaboration with Archivio della Memoria, Salina’s schoolchildren contributed drawings and stories, reinforcing AQUA’s commitment to education.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Salina, AQUA inspires locals and visitors to rethink their relationship with water. Through exhibitions, performances, and workshops, it sparks meaningful dialogue on the urgent need to protect this essential resource.