Ezia Mitolo's 'Giardino dei Bisbigli' Installed at Taranto's Mercato Nuovo

On January 31, 2021, from 6 to 9 PM, the Puglian artist Ezia Mitolo unveiled 'Il Giardino dei Bisbigli' (The Garden of Whispers), a site-specific urban art installation at the Mercato Nuovo cultural hub in the Porta Napoli district of Taranto, Italy. The work, curated by Cristina Principale, is a kinetic sculpture garden featuring anthropomorphic figures inspired by flora and fauna, whose shadows are projected onto a large floating cloth. Accompanied by ambient music, the sculptures appear to whisper to each other about beauty and care, fostering authentic communication and mutual listening. The installation is part of the regeneration efforts led by the Musicasetta association, aiming to revitalize the peripheral area between the Two Seas and the industrial zone. Mitolo describes the piece as an ecosystem restoring balance in human-nature, human-human, and human-city relationships, with the cloth acting as a filter between inner and outer worlds. The work was created during the pandemic as a hopeful gesture for the city, responding to the need for physical contact and unfiltered communication after prolonged isolation.