Babau
MĒTAsêmㅤ
a cura di Marta Oliva
"MĒTAsêm" is a multidimensional ethnographic research into the meanings and effects of borders, thresholds, and limits—geographical, historical, and metaphysical. Objects, ambiguous waters, and sound narratives become tools to collapse and blur each of these imaginary lines.
Babau, MĒTAsêm, Cormons (GO), Friuli Venezia Giulia. Ph Mattia Romanut.
MĒTAsêm is a site-specific installation by the duo Babau, born from historical, linguistic, and anthropological research conducted in the region. The project reflects on the geographical and metaphysical thresholds that run through the memory of Cormons and Friuli.
MĒTAsêm is the union of two terms: mēta (Friulian Lombard) and sêm (Friulian Slovenian), both with the same meaning: boundary marker, evoking the semantic and symbolic ambiguity of limits and the flexible nature of boundaries. At the Faet fountain, the Diàbolos, the devil, the creator of boundaries and limits of the soul, a metal mask, between spirit and mineral formation, introduces the story. From here, the miraculous waters of the spring, of myths and local folklore, with a sulphurous taste due to a joke by the great divider, symbol of the metallurgical tradition of the place, receive the gift of voice through a quadraphonic installation, which moves towards the Borders. As in a radio drama, the human voices of the performers speak in the languages of the borders–German, Slovenian, Friulian and Italian–recounting them, whether they be the limits of eras, real or metaphysical places. The space of sound changes, moving between the cardinal points during the “blue hour”, the relative, permeable border. Lulled by these voices and stories, the viewer encounters a banner in yellow, turquoise and white: an imaginary hydrographic map traversed by diagrams inspired by mathematician Georgij Voronoi, where symbols and local writings blend together – a fluid, heraldic emblem recalling the past of local textile craftsmanship.
The identity of Cormons – shaped by landscapes, layers, and transformations – emerges as fluid, guided by the forms and flows of water: ambiguous, miraculous, an element of myth and folklore. A living, constant presence – as described by Carlo Ginzburg and Dolfo Zorzut – that runs through both our history and that of this place.
ㅤ
Permanent artworks:
01. Babau, Diàbolos, 2025, resin mask with galvanic treatment, 40 x 40 x 10 cm
Parco della Fontana del Faet, Via Faet 16, Cormons (GO)
ㅤ
Artworks:
02. Babau, Palûd/Preval, 2025, banner on windproof fabric, 400 x 100 cm
Parco della Fontana del Faet, Via Faet 16, Cormons (GO)
ㅤ
03. Babau, Mappa di confine, 2025, print on parchment paper, 70 x 90 cm
Parco della Fontana del Faet, Via Faet, 16, Cormons (GO)
ㅤ
04. Babau, MĒTAsêm, 2025, quadraphonic sound installation
Azienda Agricola Gradnik, Località Plessiva, 5 bis, Cormons (GO)
ㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Babau è un duo musicale composto da Luigi Monteanni e Matteo Pennesi che esplora l'intersezione tra exotica, computer music e sottoculture sonore transglobali nell'era del post-internet. Nato a Potenza Picena (MC), nel 2014 con l'EP Papalagi, il loro progetto si configura come un'indagine continua sul suono inteso come contenitore per la speculazione culturale e la creazione di miti digitali.
Le loro pubblicazioni abbracciano collaborazioni con piattaforme come Discrepant, Bamboo Shows e Artetetra, etichetta indipendente fondata dagli stessi Babau, dedicata alla ricerca sul folklore e sull’esotismo digitale nella tarda globalizzazione. Il lavoro curatoriale e artistico di Artetetra ha ricevuto l'attenzione di importanti testate internazionali e italiane, come New York Times, Coeval Mag, Resident Advisor, Artribune, Rolling Stone, Tiny Mix Tapes e Zero.eu, mentre The Wire li ha inseriti nel suo 400° numero con un articolo firmato da Simon Reynolds.
Selezionati tra gli artisti SHAPE+ per il biennio 2022/23, i Babau hanno pubblicato diversi album, tra cui il loro ultimo lavoro - nato durante il progetto Spazio Libero alla Casa degli Artisti di Milano - di prossima uscita sull’etichetta Impatience. Le loro performance dal vivo hanno risuonato dagli spazi underground DIY ai festival più importanti come CTM (DE), Club To Club (IT), Outernational Days (RO), Terraforma (IT) e Saturnalia (IT), Onlyfuckinglabels (MC).
Marta Oliva (1994) is a curator and cultural producer working across music and the visual arts. Her research explores the relationships between listening, publishing, and storytelling, resulting in sound-based experiments and interdisciplinary projects. She has collaborated with independent initiatives and institutions, including Radio Alhara, Wonder Cabinet, IUAV University of Venice, and La Biennale di Venezia. In 2020, she founded Publishing Station, a platform connecting creatives, labels, and independent publications. She holds a radio programme on Radio Alhara and is a member of Threes Productions. For Una Boccata d’Arte in Friuli Venezia Giulia, she curated projects by Irini Karannayoupolou in Polcenigo (2021), Riccardo Benassi in Pesariis (2022), Judith Hopf in Aquileia (2023), Mariona Cañadas and Pedro Murúa in Paluzza (2024), and Babau in Cormons (2025).
Cormons lies in the heart of the Collio area, among the neatly arranged rows of vineyards and at the foot of Quarin Mountain. A place of history, art, and nature, the village has witnessed significant historical events, evidenced by the ruins of its castle and the remaining medieval traces, but above all by its elegant historic center with a strong Austro-Hungarian legacy. Walking through the town, one can discover hidden corners, precious architecture, and charming squares, such as Piazza della Libertà, home to the statue of Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, and Piazza XXIV Maggio, where the eighteenth-century Palazzo Locatelli stands, now housing the Town Hall and overlooking an Italian garden that faces the Museo del Territorio. The museum hosts a section dedicated to the sculptor Alfonso Canciani from Cormons, who trained in the Vienna of the Secession. Next door, the Liberty-style building houses the renewed Enoteca – Center for the Promotion and Valorization of the Collio Territory. Not far away, the Duomo dominates the scene, surrounded by an ancient complex of walls and buildings connected by a maze of alleys. Climbing Quarin Mountain, one reaches the Chiesa della Beata Vergine del Soccorso (Church of the Blessed Virgin of Succor), which offers a beautiful panoramic view. In the immediate surroundings, trails and bike paths wind through woods and vineyards, inviting enthusiasts to explore.
Cormons is inextricably linked to the excellence of its wines, known worldwide and celebrated each September since 1932 during the traditional Festa dell’Uva (Grape Festival). Completing the area's gastronomic identity are its culinary specialties, an inheritance of Friulian, Slovenian, and German traditions, including the renowned plum gnocchi.