Taranto prison transformed into an artwork in participatory project curated by Achille Bonito Oliva

From May 8 to June 5, 2017, the Carmelo Magli prison in Taranto, Italy, becomes an immersive art installation titled 'L’altra città. Un percorso partecipativo e interattivo nella realtà carceraria italiana.' Curated by art critic Achille Bonito Oliva and prison police commander Giovanni Lamarca, the project involves about twenty female inmates who participated in art and creative writing workshops led by artist and teacher Giulio De Mitri, with theoretical support from Roberto Lacarbonara and Anna Paola Lacatena, and set design by Giovanni Guarino. Visitors undergo a multisensory journey: they must have a mugshot taken and provide fingerprints at the entrance, then explore installations created by the inmates and experience solitary confinement in a cell. The initiative aims to present the experience of detention with its criticalities and contradictions, transforming the prison itself into a work of art through the contributions of inmates, staff, and visitors. This is reportedly a first in the landscape of cultural and educational initiatives within Italian prisons.