Concierto de ranas - Preludio para seres del umbral

Vica Pacheco

Concierto de ranas - Preludio para seres del umbral

curated by
Sofia Baldi Pighi per Threes

Bagnara di Romagna (RA), Emilia-Romagna

Discover the map here

ㅤ

For the sixth edition of Una Boccata d’Arte, Vica Pacheco transforms the Prato di Sant’Andrea, at the edge of Bagnara di Romagna, into a device for collective listening.This area, shielded from urban development and invasive agricultural practices, becomes home to a dispersed orchestra composed of ceramic musical instruments—bells and gramophones inspired by occhi della Madonna (speedwell flowers), and a family of frogs attuned to the biodiversity inhabiting the meadow.The Mexican artist activates a poetic relationship between sound, ecology, and collective gesture, giving form to an installation that invites slowness, attentiveness, and tuning in to what usually lies at the edge of perception. The project draws inspiration from the practice of deep listening, theorized by Pauline Oliveros: a radical form of listening that engages the entire body and opens up new possibilities for connecting with the world.The orchestra is activated through public interaction, the ticking of rain, and the presence of the meadow’s non-human inhabitants, generating a soundscape in constant motion. On the day of the opening, a secular procession from the town center to the meadow transforms the audience into a moving sonic body. The gesture is inspired by the calendas of Oaxaca, the artist’s homeland, and takes the form of a healing ritual to mend the bond between the community and water—an element charged with fear after recent floods.The sculptures, created in collaboration with the artisan workshop Sottosasso, are the result of research into the ceramic traditions of Faenza. With Concierto de ranas – Preludio para seres del umbral, Vica Pacheco invites us to resonate with the submerged voices of the landscape, restoring to sound a function of care and shared presence.

ㅤ

Artworks:
01. Vica Pacheco, Trompa de Flor, 2025, ceramic, 33 x 23 x 23 cm.
Prati di Sant'Andrea, Via Lunga 2, Bagnara di Romagna (RA)

ㅤ

02. Vica Pacheco, Rana Güiro, 2025, ceramic, 30x20x15 cm
Prati di Sant'Andrea, Via Lunga 2, Bagnara di Romagna (RA)

ㅤ

03. Vica Pacheco, Rana Güiro, 2025, ceramic, 25 elements, 8,7 x 6,1 x 5,8 cm cad.
The 25 editions of Rana Güiro are placed in 25 symbolic locations throughout the village — we invite you to discover them.

ㅤ

04. Vica Pacheco, Campanas Occhi della Madonna, 2025, porcelain, variable dimensions.
Prati di Sant'Andrea, Via Lunga 2, Bagnara di Romagna (RA)

AN OPEN-AIR SOUND INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE, WHERE FROGS, VOICES, AND CERAMICS ECHO THROUGH ANCIENT RUINS, INVITING A COLLECTIVE RECONNECTION WITH WATER, MEMORY, AND THE CYCLICAL RHYTHMS OF THE LAND.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Vica Pacheco (Oaxaca, Mexico, 1993) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brussels. Her practice moves between experimental music, sound composition, ceramics, and 3D animation, with an eclectic and energetic approach.
Her work explores mythological hybridizations and interactions between the human and non-human, blending pre-Hispanic traditions, archaic forms, and contemporary technologies in a syncretic way, together with heterogeneous elements, to create immersive sound performances and installations.
She studied at La Esmeralda in Mexico City and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Villa Arson in France in 2017. Her work has been presented and exhibited internationally at numerous festivals, galleries, and institutions.

Vica Pacheco, *Concierto de ranas - Preludio para seres del umbral*, Bagnara di Romagna (RA), Emilia-Romagna. Ph Daniele Signaroldi.

Bagnara di Romagna (RA)

Emilia-Romagna

A fine example of a medieval castrum, Bagnara di Romagna boasts a charming historic center, entirely enclosed by 15th-century walls, complete with an entrance tower and five small bastions. The symbol of the town is the Rocca Sforzesca, which still conveys the atmosphere of its time.Today, the Rocca houses the Castle Museum, whose archaeological section traces the area’s history from the Bronze Age to the Roman era and into the Middle Ages—represented by the important archaeological site of Prati di Sant’Andrea, a key part of Bagnara’s original settlement.Facing the fortress stands the Archpriest Church of Saints Giovanni and Andrea, dating back to the 15th century. It preserves valuable works, including the terracotta Madonna del Pubblico Voto, the baptismal font, a 15th-century tabernacle, and an 18th-century organ.The adjacent rectory hosts two museum collections: the Parish Museum of Sacred Art, which houses a precious 16th-century altarpiece by Innocenzo da Imola, a wooden crucifix from the school of Donatello, and a notable collection of devotional ceramics; and the Pietro Mascagni Museum, which preserves memorabilia of the famous composer, donated by Bagnara-born chorister Anna Lolli.Just a few kilometers from the town center stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Soccorso, designed by Cosimo Morelli in 1770.

Thanks to: The Municipal Administration of Bagnara di Romagna, Mayor Mattia Galli, the Dai Donca Association, the Department of Geology, Soil and Seismic Risk of the Emilia-Romagna Region, and Councillor for Culture Daniela Pini for their valuable support, along with the entire community.

Sofia Baldi Pighi

Sofia Baldi Pighi (1995) is an Italian curator based in Milan and Malta.
Since 2017, she has organized contemporary art exhibitions, public programs, and art therapy workshops for several public and private institutions.
She was the Artistic Director and Head Curator of the Malta Biennale 2024, Insulaphilia. She was part of the Curatorial Team of the Italian Pavilion at the 14th Gwangju Biennale, Republic of Korea. She is the co-artistic Director of the project Prospettive 2025.
She is a member of IKT International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art and Art Workers Italia.
For Una Boccata d'Arte, she curated the projects of Raghad Saqfalhait in Travo (2023) and Sóley Ragnarsdóttir in Berceto (2024), in Emilia-Romagna.