L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano I magine: two weeks in the Arctic Circle, trav- eling with interna- tional artists of all dis- ciplines, maybe a few architects and educators on board, as well. The destina- tion: Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago just 10 degrees of latitude below the North Pole. Although the region is one of the world's northern- most inhabited areas, it's a place where polar bears and icebergs abound. Iole Alessandrini will be there soon enough. The Seattle artist is part of a two- week residency and expedi- tion made possible by The Arctic Circle, a nonprofit organization, and supported by optical engineer and col- l e a g u e E d M a n n e r y . H e r journey takes place October 2-19, 2023. Alessandrini calls her pro- ject "To the North Pole and Back." On this photographic and scientific journey, she hopes to create more visibili- ty for climate change and more responsible environ- mental action. "As an artist, I am poised t o e x p l o i t w h a t I d o a n d know best," she explained. "Over the years my work has been dedicated to capturing the ethereal allure of light, the elusive essence of time and the boundless expanse of space. With the Arctic Cir- c l e r e s i d e n c y , I h o p e t o inspire dialogue and empa- thy that transcend political differences and foster a col- lective sense of responsibility towards our environment." Alessandrini has collabo- rated with colleague Man- nery, a retired optical engi- neer from the University of W a s h i n g t o n , f o r s e v e r a l decades. Together, the duo created Laser Plane technol- ogy which uses custom-built lasers, light-sensitive sen- sors, sound and other equip- m e n t t o c a p t u r e a v i s u a l record of lingering energies that retain a semblance of the individual long after the p e r s o n h a s d e p a r t e d t h e space. I n b r i n g i n g h e r L a s e r Plane technology to the Arc- tic, Alessandrini hopes to p r o v i d e a v i s u a l , y e t e p h e m e r a l , r e c o r d o f t h e region. "I will use the Laser P l a n e t o p h o t o g r a p h t h e polychromatic blue, white and gray colors of the Arctic against the monochromatic light of the green laser," she said. "The open space of the North Pole, away from the ground of the Svalbard arch- ipelago, is solid ice and dark b l u e w a t e r . I ' l l s e t L a s e r Planes in the ice and against glaciers or icebergs floating i n t h e o c e a n t o s e e h o w these massive volumes of compact snow appear in the green Laser Plane. There is this idea that space retains occupancy even after some- one has departed. My goal is to capture the profound con- nections between individu- als and their surroundings." The nonprofit group The Arctic Circle organizes three expeditions a year for artists and innovators. The organi- zation established the expe- ditionary residency program in 2009 to enable partici- pants to develop profession- ally through fieldwork and research, interdisciplinary c o l l a b o r a t i o n s , e x h i b i t opportunities, and public and classroom engagement. E a c h e x p e d i t i o n d r a w s about 30 participants. Their v e s s e l a n d h o m e f o r t w o w e e k s i s a t r a d i t i o n a l l y rigged Barquentine, a spe- c i a l l y o u t f i t t e d s a i l b o a t equipped with workspace, common areas and ample room for privacy and cre- ativity. "Embarking on a journey t o t h e N o r t h P o l e i s l i k e p l a n n i n g a t r i p t o t h e moon," said Alessandrini. "It demands meticulous prepa- ration, specialized gear and unwavering determination. But the project has a real urgency – to raise environ- mental awareness and focus o n t h e r e a l i t y o f c l i m a t e change from a new vantage point, that of art." A l e s s a n d r i n i i s n o stranger to Seattle art afi- cionados. Born in Abruzzo, Italy, she moved to Rome when she was very young. In 1994, she relocated to Seat- tle to attend the University of Washington, where she earned her second master's degree in architecture (the first was from Sapienza Uni- versity in Rome). She's been a Seattle resident ever since. Creatively, she is fascinat- ed by the interplay between light and space. Her com- plex site-specific installa- tions often use controlled e n v i r o n m e n t s t o e x p l o r e t h e s e t w o e l e m e n t s . S h e s o m e t i m e s a d d s v i d e o , m u s i c o r c o m p u t e r i z e d sound to create an intense personal experience that is unique yet fleeting. This summer at The Gro- cery Studio's WUG gallery in Seattle, Alessandrini exhibit- ed a selection of images she calls Ioleograms (a play on her first name and "holo- grams") to create awareness f o r h e r u p c o m i n g A r c t i c journey. On two occasions during the run of the gallery exhibit, which is called "In Preparation: to the North Pole and Back," she enabled visitors to create their own Ioleograms. Her work is on d i s p l a y i n t h e g a l l e r y through August 19, 2023. A few years ago, Alessan- drini was commissioned to create an art installation for Climate Pledge Arena, the n e w h o m e o f t h e S e a t t l e Kraken, the city's profes- sional hockey team, and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. For that project, Alessandrini created a meditative space that incorporates a playful interactive light installation based on the mythology of the Raven, a mystical crea- ture of great significance. I n 2 0 1 5 , s h e c r e a t e d a work for the City of Kirkland that ran along the city's 4th Avenue "cultural corridor." The resulting installation, Luminous Forest, consisted of solar LED lights embed- ded in the roadway, visually connecting the corridor at night and evoking the large trees that once lined the city s t r e e t s – a n o d t o t h e region's forests and logging history. Alessandrini is looking f o r w a r d t o s h i f t i n g h e r emphasis from the light cre- ated in urban settings to that in natural environments. She a l s o h o p e s t o i l l u m i n a t e what is happening with glob- al warming. "My work in the Arctic is a response to cli- mate change," she said. "I w i l l s h a r e m y e x p e d i t i o n experiences with artists and scientists; I expect to bring back lots of questions." Seattle artist sets sail for the Arctic RITA CIPALLA SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Home for two weeks during this Arctic Circle expedition is a sailing vessel specially outfitted for the extreme conditions (Photo: Beau Carey/The Arctic Circle) and (left) artist Iole Alessandrini (Photo: Iole Alessandrini)

• Cover