Artist Sabrina D'Alessandro Resurrects Lost Italian Words in New Rizzoli Book
Rizzoli has released 'Il libro delle Parole Altrimenti Smarrite' (The Book of Otherwise Lost Words), which brings back outdated Italian expressions such as 'scopamestieri' and 'ventisettaio.' This work stems from more than ten years of exploration by artist Sabrina D'Alessandro, who established the URPS – Ufficio Resurrezione Parole Smarrite. D'Alessandro's artistic endeavor transforms words into tangible forms across various mediums. The book comprises approximately one hundred word pairs divided into eight thematic sections, including love and politics, accompanied by her collages. Art critic Achille Bonito Oliva contributes a preface that highlights the aim of enriching language and reviving ancient terms, addressing the current decline in linguistic diversity.
Key facts
- Rizzoli published 'Il libro delle Parole Altrimenti Smarrite' in the BUR Classici series
- The book revives obsolete Italian words like 'scopamestieri' and 'ventisettaio'
- Artist Sabrina D'Alessandro conducted over a decade of research
- D'Alessandro founded URPS – Ufficio Resurrezione Parole Smarrite
- The book contains about one hundred words in eight thematic sections
- It includes collaged illustrations by D'Alessandro
- Art critic Achille Bonito Oliva wrote the preface
- The work is presented as an artist's book, not a dictionary
Entities
Artists
- Sabrina D'Alessandro
- Achille Bonito Oliva
Institutions
- Rizzoli
- BUR Classici
- URPS – Ufficio Resurrezione Parole Smarrite