Flag Semaphores is a site-specific art installation that is presented in selected locations throughout the village of Pietragalla. Comprised of a sculpture, eighteen works on paper, three multimedia video works and a live performance, the project documents the outcomes of the past year through the stories found within rural communities of the Basilicata Region.
The main work consists of a jib sail with the words Abracadabra embroidered on it. Abracadabra, an ancient, widely known, magic formula, was originally engraved on precious stones, guaranteeing health and protection from diseases to its bearer. Carlo Levi describes the use of Abracadabra in Basilicata’s rural villages in his memoir Christ Stopped at Eboli, one of GRJB’s primary sources and inspirations. In the book, Levi recounts the experience of his own exile in Basilicata. Examining and reframing the text, GRJB found profound resonance between the author’s own time and the period of pandemic and political upheavals in which we find ourselves today.
Looking at place as identity, GRJB have been conducting a series of interviews with the local residents of Pietragalla. Woven into the video works and performance these invite the public to remember the experiences of this past year, whilst establishing a dialogue with the traditions that the communities of this Region have preserved to this day.