Roxy in the Box's 'The Face of Naples' Pandemic Video Installation at Teatro Bellini

Artist Roxy in the Box created a video installation titled 'The Face of Naples – Pandemic Stories' for Teatro Bellini in Naples, Italy. During the last lockdown, the theater asked her to animate five monitors on its central facade, typically used to broadcast rehearsals to passersby. Instead, she conducted a series of interviews with 49 people of all ages and social backgrounds, including a transgender hairdresser, a surgeon, a priest, and an unemployed person, selected via an internal call with the theater's artistic director Gabriele Russo and staff. The interviews explore how the pandemic affected their lives, with a common theme of longing for simple social interactions. The silent video installation runs 24/7 on the street-facing screens, requiring viewers to interpret the muted faces. Full audio versions are available on the Teatro Bellini website. The videos will be acquired by the State Archives of Naples, marking the first time the archive hosts a visual intervention. Roxy in the Box aimed to document a past moment and help move beyond the pandemic.