In response to the invitation of the INAF CUG to participate in the initiative: “A touch of red against violence against women” we created three “installations” in the months of October-November: two benches (one very old, refurbished) and a wooden chair bought in a second-hand shop. The benches and chair were painted red and decorated in the following way:
First bench: “If I don’t come back tomorrow… I want to be the last” from Cristina Torres Cáceres’ poem “Si mañana no vuelvo” (“If I don’t come back tomorrow”). With the addition of “Do you need help? Call 1522.”
Second bench: quote by Michela Murgia “You can’t talk about freedom without talking about respect. Every woman who fights to be free, also fights for those who don’t yet have the voice to do so.” With the addition of “Do you need help? Call 1522.” Behind we also added the names of women who are significant to us.
Chair: drawing on the seat designed and created by the young artist Alice Sironi entitled: “Shed light on real monsters”. With the addition of a tag with the title of the drawing and the number 1522.
The benches have been placed in our park, clearly visible to both the staff and the many visitors who enter our headquarters in Merate. The chair has been placed in the atrium of the Observatory. Symbols of a continuous massacre, given that statistics speak of at least one woman every 3 days.
On November 25th from 4:30 pm we organized a moment of reflection open to all staff (both from Milan and Merate) to see the three installations and remember all the women, girls and children who were victims of femicide. We invited the President of the Association “L’Altra Metà del Cielo odv – telefono Donna – Merate” (https://www.altrametadelcielo.org/) who told us about their work and the situation in Merate. We also read the thought that inspired the drawing on the chair.
We thank all the staff, first of all the people who offered their time for the realization of the 3 installations, but also those who wanted to be present both in person and with their heart.
Below are some more significant photos of our work and of yesterday.
