Carola Spadoni's Peripatetic Archive: Commoning Footage Since 1988
In a conversation with Giulia Crispiani for NERO Editions, artist Carola Spadoni elaborates on The Peripatetic Film & Video Archive (TPF&VA), an independent initiative she founded in 2022, drawing from her footage dating back to the late 1980s. The term "peripatetic" signifies her spontaneous filming approach, capturing a variety of topics across four continents, including Fidel Castro's May Day address, the 1996 EZLN encounter with Subcomandante Marcos, and numerous cultural happenings. Spadoni's theoretical influences comprise works by Giuliana Bruno, Silvia Federici, and Simone Osthoff. Supported by the Italian Council 9 grant, the archive encompasses exhibitions, workshops, and a dedicated website. Spadoni encourages contributions to aid the gradual uploading process via the archive's website and Instagram.
Key facts
- The Peripatetic Film & Video Archive (TPF&VA) is an independent archive of moving images based on footage shot by artist and filmmaker Carola Spadoni since the end of the 1980s.
- TPF&VA was formally born in 2022 and manifests in exhibitions, a zine, a gathering, workshops, lectures, texts, and screenings.
- Spadoni's footage includes Fidel Castro's May Day speech in Havana, the EZLN national meeting with Subcomandante Marcos in 1996 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, director Arthur Penn in Rome, photographer Malick Sidibè in Bamako, and actress Chlöe Sevigny in NYC.
- Spadoni received the Italian Council 9 research grant for a year-long studio residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin.
- Key theoretical influences include Giuliana Bruno's 'Atlas of Emotions', Silvia Federici's 'Re-enchanting the World', and Simone Osthoff's 'Performing the Archive'.
- The archive is designed to be accessible and aims to expand the politics of the commons.
- Spadoni lived in New York City from 1988 to 1998, where much of her early footage was shot.
- The archive's website features an affective mapping section and a formal database, with only a small percentage of footage uploaded so far.
- Spadoni describes the archive as 'conceived for the people' and a 'kill boredom feminist work out for the imaginary'.
- The interview was conducted by Giulia Crispiani and published on NERO Editions.
Entities
Artists
- Carola Spadoni
- Giulia Crispiani
- Fidel Castro
- Subcomandante Marcos
- Arthur Penn
- Malick Sidibè
- Chlöe Sevigny
- Giuliana Bruno
- Silvia Federici
- Simone Osthoff
- Vilém Flusser
- Alice Walker
Institutions
- The Peripatetic Film & Video Archive
- Teatro Valle
- Künstlerhaus Bethanien
- Italian Council
- NERO Editions
- EZLN
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Havana
- Cuba
- San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Mexico
- Rome
- Italy
- Bamako
- Mali
- New York City
- USA
- Arizona
- La Isla
- Genova