Corale: Art as Healing in Post-Earthquake Preci

The Corale project, initiated by artist Leonardo Delogu and his collective DOM, brings contemporary art to Preci, a small Italian town devastated by the 2016 earthquake. With only 250 of its original 700 residents remaining, the project aims to foster community resilience through ritual, performance, and participatory art. Supported by Teatro Stabile dell'Umbria and funded by MiBACT, the project began with a month-long residency in May 2017, where the team camped in the town. They engaged locals through small gestures, such as creating a public garden, building 100 chairs and tables, and organizing a communal dinner for 150 people on June 17, 2017. Winter workshops in dance, theater, and video followed. The project culminates in a festival featuring installations like Zimmerfrei's 'Family Affair', poetry readings by Mariangela Gualtieri, and a kintsugi workshop by Christina Stadlbauer and Gosie Vervollsen. A 'Museum of Beautiful Things' invites residents to display sacred objects in their homes, turning the entire town into a museum. Delogu emphasizes the importance of long-term engagement over market-driven production, learning to listen and build trust with the community.