Senatore makes reference to the notion of “commons,” where “common goods” are those cultural and natural resources that ideally should be equally accessible to all of society. In essence, she’s interested in new modes of living based on evenness across the board, commonalities that help create empowerment. In this case, these “new modes” are activated by the artist and her specific interventions, both physical and social, in public space. In the Piazza dei Priori, long a gathering space and frame of reference, a fluid and site-specific installation is a horizontal platform on which different elements generate energetic movement, and thereby potentially shared narration. The installation is described as “fluid” based on a potentially infinite inclusion of the elements in play.
Bodies in Alliance, a phrase borrowed from Judith Butler, is formed by a series of wooden sculptural elements, inspired by the traditional luminary setup and placed in different points of the square. Amid the sadness of the 2020 pandemic, with the forced isolation it brought about, the position of both the individual and collective body was completely thrown into question. New ways of relating were forcibly created, particularly in the physical realm, shedding light on just how much closeness was taken for granted previously, and how it is now more essential than ever. But the concept of community, of sentimental and social alliance, is a possible guidepost for better understanding and transforming human relationships.

Marinella Senatore (Cava De' Tirreni, 1977) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice contains a strong participatory element and an ongoing dialogue between history, popular culture and social structures. Bodies in Alliance is not just a temporary alteration of public space, but a symbol of a social space where the individual can ignite a personal interaction, which immediately transforms into a connection with the other from him - or herself.