Valerio Rocco Orlando's 'Portami al Confine' Workshop at MUSMA for Matera 2019

Valerio Rocco Orlando conducted a two-day workshop titled 'Portami al Confine' at MUSMA in Matera on January 28-29, 2017, as part of Matera's European Capital of Culture 2019 program. The workshop explored the concept of 'confine' (border) not as a dividing line but as a space for shared experience and relationship-building. Participants first discussed their ideas of borders, then wrote revised definitions after group dialogue. On the second day, they moved from the museum to the streets, each attempting to physically cross their own border. Orlando's methodology, which he calls 'Social Dramaturgy,' involves interviewing participants, transcribing responses, and reassembling them into a collective portrait. The project will culminate in a film permanently installed in MUSMA's Sala 7, formerly the Pomarici family chapel. Currently, the space features an installation of 1,000 posters bearing a letter to Matera, inspired by Pietro Consagra's 1978 'Letter to the People of Matera.' Participants receive a poster in exchange for collaboration. Orlando's research focuses on 'capacity'—a community's ability to welcome the other, addressing urgent political themes of migration and hospitality.