Vincenzo Fiore Marrese

Portfolio Entry

Seeking information on wild plants, we went to the public library. We borrowed a book on the topic with an unexpected magic recipe.

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Artwork Details

• Title:
  Love Potion
• Year:
  2024
• Medium (Type of Art):
  time-based art
• Medium (Materials):
  video formatted as an MP4 file
• Dimensions (International):
  1920×1080 pixels
• Dimensions (British and US):
  1920×1080 pixels
• Duration:
  00:02:47 hours
• Venue:
  filmed in the countryside of Butera, Caltanissetta, Italy
• Setting:
  Terraformation art residency, curated by Andrea Mineo, Mayer Pavillion, with the support of Farm Cultural Park

Establishing Context

Seeking information on wild plants, we went to the public library. We borrowed a book on the topic with an unexpected magic recipe.

When I got home, I found that one of the plants we used for cooking had a magic power. Indeed, the book detailed a receipt to use it to craft a love potion.

The book appeared to be scientific. However, it contained an unexpected magical recipe.

This was interesting to me because I am developing research in the area between rationality and emotion, and in particular on what is known as magical thinking.

I felt it deeply related to our residency project since we were searching for different points of view, far from the mere rational one.

Once, I asked a resident about the impressive wind turbines in the surrounding hills.

He told me how to reach the turbine, a white inline lane, suggesting I would have a new view from the top of our area.

That was what I was looking for, metaphorically speaking. Early in the morning of the next day, I started walking towards the turbines.

The video is a non-narrative chronicle of the walk mixed with memories of the previous days.

At the beginning of the video, something is burning in a field, where slash-and-burn and rubbish burning are frequent practices.

The smoke in the video suggested an interrelation between the fire and the idea of crafting a magic potion in a cauldron.

Days later, our outdoor area was burned by flames, apparently due to a slash-and-burn farming practice. People believe that burning old vegetation helps new plants grow faster, while others think it is ineffective.

This debate led me to reflect on how instability and care interact in our environment.

Watch “Love Potion.” Contact me for the password.