Electronic music in a catacomb: Palermo's Art and Ground festival returns

The early Christian catacomb of Porta d'Ossuna in Palermo, dating from the 4th-5th century AD, has been revived as a venue for contemporary art and music through the Art and Ground festival. Organized by the cooperative ArcheOfficina in collaboration with music production house Indigo, the festival began in 2016 and features local and international artists performing among the catacomb's cubicles and galleries. The site, once a hideout for brigands and political dissidents, a passage for the Beati Paoli sect, and an air-raid shelter during WWII, had fallen into neglect until ArcheOfficina restored it in 2015. The next event on August 4, 2017, features Venezuelan-born, Barcelona-based experimental composer Julio Cesar Palacio presenting 'Sun Color,' an electronic music performance blending field recordings, microtonal compositions, and abstract works designed specifically for the catacomb. Palacio is currently touring Europe, Asia, and the United States. The festival aims to promote the monument through alternative cultural programming, combining art and archaeology.