Bartolini/Baronio's 'Esercizi sull’abitare' Explores Home Through Radio and Performance

The Italian artistic duo Bartolini/Baronio, formed by Tamara Bartolini and Michele Baronio in 2009, have developed 'Esercizi sull’abitare', a multidisciplinary project that investigates the concept of home through theater, radio, video, and installations. The project began in 2019 with a journey from the Roman periphery of Quarticciolo to central museums (Palazzo delle Esposizioni and Mercati di Traiano), covering 16.9 kilometers. It then expanded to 333 kilometers across small towns in the Lazio region, and finally to New York, 6900 kilometers away, under the curatorship of Valeria Orani. A radio version was created for the program 'Tre soldi' on Rai Radio3, consisting of fifteen episodes that weave together stories, sounds, and songs from the three stages. The work incorporates interviews, field research, literature, and collaborations with sound designer Michele Boreggi. The duo reflects on how the pandemic revealed social and economic inequalities in housing, and how home has become a commodity, leading to a temporary sense of dwelling. In New York, they interviewed Italian diaspora members, exploring identity, gender, and precarity. The project is documented on RaiPlay Sound and was featured on Artribune by Valentina Valentini.