Elisabetta Consonni's urban game reconnects Palermo with its denied sea

On March 25-26, 2023, artist and choreographer Elisabetta Consonni leads 'Ti voglio un bene pubblico', an urban game in Palermo's Costa Sud. Participants will navigate barriers like gates, walls, and abandoned spaces that separate the city from its coastline. The project is organized by the Ecomuseo Mare Memoria Viva, founded in 2014 to address Palermo's fraught relationship with the sea. It is part of 'Traiettorie Urbane', an initiative funded by Fondazione EOS – Edison Orizzonte Sociale and the social enterprise Con i Bambini, targeting youth aged 11-17 in the Zisa-Noce-Danisinni and Kalsa-Sant'Erasmo-Romagnolo neighborhoods. Consonni, who studied at The Place in London and developed her performance research in the Netherlands, uses choreography to provoke anthropological and sociological reflections. The game divides participants into teams tasked with finding paths and solutions to overcome obstacles that privatize public space, aiming to rediscover the southern waterfront—a public good awaiting regeneration.