The work as a visible trace
Abitare la Luce is an artistic and participatory project conceived by artist Giuseppe Inglese, coordinated and developed in collaboration with the Tara Cittamani Buddhist Centre, Vecchiato Arte and ArcaBlu APS.
The project grows out of my research into luminous sculptures made of hand-woven stainless-steel wire and from an expanding question about light: no longer only what happens inside a sculpture, but also what can take shape around it.
Figures, flowers, butterflies and luminous plant forms take shape through a shared process in which the artist’s work intertwines with that of the participants. Manual gestures, words, thoughts, intentions and moments of collective experience enter into the making of the artwork, which becomes the visible result of many presences and a journey undertaken together.
The sculpture becomes more than an object to observe. It becomes a place where a human process can leave a visible form. What remains on display also speaks of what cannot be exhibited: time spent together, listening, care, encounters and the relationships that emerged along the way.
“The finished artwork does not mark the completion of the work, but only its visible trace: the tangible sign of a wider, often invisible work taking shape within the process itself.”
The project takes shape
A landscape to inhabit
Abitare la Luce will unfold through a series of installations conceived as parts of a single symbolic landscape. Childlike figures, luminous blossoms, butterflies, plant forms and traces of the participants’ journey will gradually form a constellation of light.
The human figures speak of the fragile moment when something leaves its original state and opens itself to a new possibility. Around them, flowers and butterflies translate the gestures, words and intentions gathered along the way into luminous matter.
Each installation may be encountered on its own, yet will form part of a broader narrative: a journey in which light does not merely illuminate forms but makes perceptible what normally remains invisible.
Sculpture
Figures and natural elements made of hand-woven stainless-steel wire in the artist’s sculptural language.
Participation
People can take part through encounters, words, experiences, manual gestures and contributions that are held within the work.
Light
Luminescence transforms the works as lighting changes, becoming a metaphor for what can emerge, be recognised and made visible.
Light as presence
Light has run through my research for over a decade. In the sculptures, it has progressively become presence, trace, energy and a means of making perceptible what matter alone could not show.
In Abitare la Luce this exploration expands. Light no longer concerns only what happens within the work, but also what may form around it: relationships, vulnerability, care, memory, the desire for beauty and the possibility of transformation.
Luminous sculptures thus become sensitive thresholds: organisms of wire, emptiness and light that do not simply occupy a space, but transform it and invite viewers into a different quality of presence.
Guiding principles
The Four Immeasurables
One of the references for Abitare la Luce is the Four Immeasurables of the Buddhist tradition: equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion and empathetic joy. These are qualities of the heart directed not only towards those close to us, but ideally towards all sentient beings, without distinction.
In this project these principles are not simply themes to represent, but orientations to put into practice. They accompany encounters, listening, manual work and the making of the sculptures, inviting each participant to expand their perspective beyond habitual preferences, allegiances and boundaries.
Equanimity
The capacity to approach all beings with an open, non-discriminating gaze, beyond attachment, aversion and distinctions between those near and far.
Loving-kindness
The wish that all beings may know happiness and encounter its causes.
Compassion
The wish that all beings may be free from suffering and its causes.
Empathetic joy
The capacity to rejoice in the happiness, positive qualities and goodness present in the lives of others.
If the Four Immeasurables extend their aspirations to all beings, Abitare la Luce seeks to translate that same openness into an experience: light intended not just for some, but ideally for all beings.
Joining the project
Taking part in Abitare la Luce
There is no single way to participate. Some people will accompany the project over time; others will attend individual meetings or workshops; still others will simply leave a word, a thought, a gesture or a small contribution to become part of the work.
Along the way, there will be opportunities for listening, meditation, writing and making by hand. Traces from these experiences may become butterflies, flowers, plant forms and other signs held within the installations.
Participating therefore means not only helping to build an artwork, but leaving a presence within it: something that will continue to exist when the shared journey has taken on its visible form.
I want to take part ↗ I want to take part ↗
From BE KIND to Abitare la Luce
Abitare la Luce grows from an artistic exploration that underwent a decisive change with BE KIND. In that project, luminous sculpture began to open more clearly towards making together, encounters and participation, gradually moving beyond the condition of a self-contained object to become the centre of a shared process as well.
That experience brought an increasingly clear awareness: the work is not limited to what remains on display. It also exists in what happens while it takes shape. The final result can become the visible memory of a larger story made of trust, presence, care and transformation.
Images from the project
Making the work possible
Support Abitare la Luce
A project of this scope comes to life through many contributions. Some people offer time; others offer skills, materials, services or financial resources.
Creating the installations requires stainless-steel wire, luminescent materials, structures and supports, equipment, transport, exhibition installations and all the resources needed to accompany the participatory journey and bring the works into spaces where they can meet the public.
For this reason, Abitare la Luce welcomes support from individuals, businesses, organisations and groups who recognise its artistic, cultural and human value and wish to contribute to its realisation.
Donations
A financial contribution, however small, can directly become material, light and the possibility of bringing the work into being.
Sponsors and businesses
Companies and professionals can support the project financially or through materials, services, expertise and technical sponsorship.
Collaborations
Institutions, associations, schools and cultural organisations can contribute by hosting activities, building networks or creating new opportunities to take part.
Support or collaborate ↗ Support or collaborate ↗
A network around the project
Abitare la Luce grows through the encounter of artistic research, culture, mindfulness practice and social participation.
Vecchiato Arte supports the project’s artistic and curatorial dimension, helping place it in dialogue with contemporary art, institutions, collectors and the local community.
The Tara Cittamani Buddhist Centre in Padua brings a sensibility rooted in meditation, presence, kindness and inner transformation, helping to shape moments of shared experience.
ArcaBlu APS, an ARCI-affiliated social-promotion association, supports the community and participatory dimensions, helping organise activities, involve people and develop the network around the project.
The encounter of these different experiences allows Abitare la Luce to develop as a space where artistic research, mindfulness practice and social participation can interact without losing their own distinctiveness.
To inhabit, not merely observe
Light is not merely something to look at. It is a space to move through, share and inhabit. Everyone who encounters the project can leave a trace: through their presence, a gesture, a word, a collaboration or support.
Become part of Abitare la Luce.
Take part ↗ · Propose a collaboration ↗ · Support the project ↗ Take part ↗ Propose a collaboration ↗ Support the project ↗