Vaste Programme
MMMMMMM KM‎
curated by
Roberta Mansueto
Miglionico (MT), Basilicata
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Address: Indirizzo: Torre di Fino

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MMMMMMM KM by Vaste Programme originates from the reimagining of an iconic object: the panoramic binoculars. Typically found at scenic viewpoints and designed for landscape observation, here they become a deceptive device, capable of subverting the conventional view of Miglionico’s panorama.
Installed at the Torre di Fino (also known as the “Tower of the Border”) —a former watchpoint from which both the medieval castle of Miglionico and the castle of Santa Sofia could once be monitored, and today a lookout over the San Giuliano nature reserve—the device invites viewers to gaze toward unexpected horizons, responding to the question: “What do I see 7,000 km from Miglionico?”.
This distance is no coincidence: it draws inspiration from a motto found on the town’s historic coat of arms: Milone Milite Magno Munì Miglionico di Magnifiche Mura. The seven “M”s, playfully interpreted as Roman numerals, evoke the number seven thousand.
The binoculars display 360-degree panoramic images of distant landscapes—deserts, mountains, oceans, cities, and villages—some overlaid with data on erosion, pollution, climate change, and the impact of mass tourism in these locations.
The work thus reinterprets the concept of the “view”, a recurring theme in art history, and opens a dialogue with the Polyptych of Miglionico (1499), an altarpiece by Giovanni Battista Cima (1459/1460–1517/1518), now preserved in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Miglionico. The integration of landscape into sacred painting was a stylistic hallmark of Cima da Conegliano, and central to Renaissance painting.
The view also symbolically dissolves the very notion of boundaries: every geopolitical or cultural border can be redeemed from the past—reduced to mere ruins—and radically reimagined in a disarmed present.
As part of MMMMMMM KM, Vaste Programme presents a special postcard edition titled Lontanissimissimo (Very, Very Far Away). Distributed throughout local businesses in Miglionico during the sixth edition of Una Boccata d’Arte, the postcards were created through a workshop with the third-grade class at the Arcangelo Ilvento comprehensive school, becoming souvenirs that teach us how to look far into the distance.

Artworks:

01. Vaste Programme, MMMMMMM KM, 2025, sandblasted stainless steel, plexiglass, smartphone, 150 x 50 x 50 cmdimensions.
Via Estramurale Torre di Fino, Miglionico (MT)

02. Vaste Programme, Lontanissimissimo, 2025.
Postcard project distributed across local businesses in Miglionico.
Pick your free postcard and send it to whoever you like!

WE EXPLORE IMAGES THROUGH PRACTICES OF APPROPRIATION AND RE-SIGNIFICATION, ALWAYS SEEKING TO MAINTAIN AN IRONIC GAZE.
WE SHIFTED OUR VIEW BEYOND THE BORDER (AND THE TOWER) USING A BINOCULAR TO LOOK FAR AWAY. A VIEW IS A WINDOW ONTO THE WORLD, THOUGH NOT ALWAYS ONTO THE WORLD WE EXPECT.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Vaste Programme is an artistic duo founded in 2017 by Giulia Vigna (Latina, 1992) and Leonardo Magrelli (Rome, 1989). Their research focuses primarily on climate change and the use of technology by the mass public, both explored through their presence in the iconosphere. Images and photography are central to their practice, which they approach through post-photographic and installation-based methods, using strategies of appropriation, re-signification, détournement, and quotation—often with a layer of bitter irony. Their work has been exhibited in numerous institutions and art spaces, including: FMAV – Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, Modena (IT, 2024); Italian Cultural Institute, London (UK, 2024); Real Collegio, Lucca (IT, 2024); Palazzo Reale, Milan (IT, 2023); Mattatoio, Rome (IT, 2023); Manifattura Tabacchi, Florence (IT, 2023); CAMERA – Italian Centre for Photography, Turin (IT, 2023); Museo Civico G. Fattori, Livorno (IT, 2023); Palazzo Lucarini, Trevi (IT, 2023); Spazio In Situ, Rome (IT, 2023); Fondazione smART, Rome (IT, 2022); Galleria 1/9unosunove, Rome (IT, 2022); Viaraffineria, Catania (IT, 2021); Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Pieve di Soligo (IT, 2021); Polycopies, Paris (FR, 2021); Chiostri di San Domenico, Reggio Emilia (IT, 2021); Palazzo Baldelli, Cortona (IT, 2021); Etherea Gallery, Genoa (IT, 2021); Musei Civici Eremitani, Padua (IT, 2020); Unseen, Amsterdam (NL, 2019); and Odessa Museum (UA, 2019). They have published two books: The Long Way Home of Ivan Putnik, Truck Driver (The Eriskay Connection, 2021) and How to Make Jam (Witty Books, 2022).


Miglionico (MT)
Basilicata

Miglionico stands on a hill between the Bradano and Basento rivers, in the heart of eastern Basilicata, in the province of Matera. It is dominated by the Castle of Malconsiglio, one of the oldest in the region, dating back to the 9th century and known for the Conspiracy of the Barons against King Ferdinand I of Aragon in 1485.
Its location offers views of the Lucanian landscape and the San Giuliano Nature Reserve along the Bradano River and lake.Legend credits Milon, a famed ancient Croton athlete and Olympic wrestling champion, with founding the city. Another version attributes its founding to Milon of Taranto, lieutenant of Pyrrhus, who established a military colony here, building great walls as the phrase "Milo Magnus Miles Me Munivit Magnis Muris" recalls, whose seven Ms are today represented in the town’s coat of arms.
The historic center features the Mother Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, a Pontifical Basilica since 1051, housing a polyptych by Cima da Conegliano (1499) and a 1629 wooden Crucifix by Umile da Petralia, which inspired Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ.


Thanks to: Mayor Giulio Traietta, Deputy Mayor Michele Piccinni, Councilor Fabrizio Perrone, Councilor Mary Elsa Caputo, School Principal Carlo Massaro, Agnese Piccinni, Porzia Guerra and the 3rd grade class of IC "Ilvento", Stefano De Marco, Sergio Barbieri, Giorgio Tonicello, Samuele Maggio, Francesco Maggiore and TAM - Matera.
Roberta Mansueto

Roberta Mansueto is an independent curator and activist in the conservation of plant biodiversity. From 2014 to 2019, she co-founded Tile project space (Milan), a space for research and promotion of contemporary art, and she is the creator of several independent initiatives, such as takecare, a project that investigates the practice of writing, between performative research and independent publishing, and Orto Fertile, a collective focused on researching and preserving ethnobotanical knowledge in Puglia. Since 2020, she has been co-founder of Salgemma, a curatorial and communication project based in Puglia, dedicated to enhancing and promoting artistic and cultural research within the region. For Una Boccata d’Arte in Basilicata, she curated projects by artists Hanne Lippard in Grottole (2022), Arianna Pace in Rivello (2023), Giulio Locatelli in Sasso di Castalda (2024).