Racconti dal margine: art and social inclusion in Siena

The Siena Art Institute has launched 'Racconti dal margine' (Tales from the Margin), a project curated by the artistic duo Bik Van Der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos van der Pol) and Antonia Liguori, aimed at engaging marginalized communities in Siena through contemporary art. During a residency, Bik Van Der Pol connected with local groups including prisoners, the elderly, and people with disabilities, fostering social bonds via creativity. The project unfolded in two phases: a workshop with educators working with marginalized communities, using the metaphor of walls to explore concepts of margin, and digital storytelling to collect interviews, audio, and video recordings. The outcomes will be presented on November 29, 2019, from 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM, via a live radio broadcast on RadioArte and at the Istituto superiore di studi musicali 'Rinaldo Franci' in Siena, featuring live interviews with community representatives. Digital storytelling, a five-step process involving personal objects, creative writing, and video editing, was employed to capture participants' narratives. The project also involved collaboration with local high school students for video editing.