Containerart

ContainerArt is an itinerant public art event. The event uses shipping containers to display works of contemporary art. To date, the events took place in Italy and in some international cities. In Italy events have been held in Bergamo (2005) with 21 containers, Varese (2005) with 21 containers, Genova (2007) with 24 containers, Rome (2007) with 14 containers, Milano (2008) 6 containers, Torino (2008) 2 containers, Casale Monferrato (2008) 4 containers, Genova (2008) in co-production with the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. The event, named "Ecosystems" included 26 containers spread around the port city, 14 of which part of the Kaohsiung Container Arts biennale and shipped to Genova directly from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In the fall of 2008 a simultaneous ContainerArt event in 4 cities was held under the name: "Beauty Inside Will Save the World": 4 containers in Milano, 4 in Torino, 4 in Venice (Mestre) and 1 container in Tirana in Albania. Internationally, ContainerArt has also held events in New York City (2006) with 8 containers in co-production with DIVA fair, and in Jerusalem (2007) with 3 containers and in São Paulo, Brazil under the leadership of Daniel Roesler and the curatorship of Lucas Bambozzi and Cao Guimares. The São Paulo event consisted of a temporary container museum structure assembled by the architectural firm of Bernardes & Jacobson and open to the public in Parque Villa Lobos between Nov 18 and 28, 2008. The temporary museum hosted exclusively contemporary video-art. In 2009, 2010, 2011 the event was also featured at the Pacific National Exhibit through a temporary container museum structure designed and managed by Peter Male. ContainerArt is now involved in artist exchanges among its international partners.

ContainerArt NYC 2006 in co-production with DiVA fair

Latest event

The latest ContainerArt events was held in Edmonton, Canada in 2011: a temporary museum structure positioned at the Capital Ex fair in Northlands from July 21 to July 31. The artists involved:

Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, iHuman Youth Society, Patti Matty, Jennifer Rae Forsyth, Monika Blichar, Colin Vince, Tyler Sherard, Michael Coolidge

Event experience

ContainerArt events usually last for 10 days during which the container is open to the public. Containers are placed in the streets, and in public parks of a city. Maps are distributed so that visitors can explore unusual neighbourhoods and places through art. ContainerArt also places "bStrogs" or street blogs outside the open containers. Computers connected to the Internet are sometimes used to comment upon the work. ContainerArt also makes use of Bluetooth technologies to communicate information on the works and events to the passerby's cell phones. Since 2008 ContainerArt has focused on the creation of temporary museum structures made out of containers.

Organization and curator

The event is produced by the Associazione Cuturale ContainerArt, an Italian non-profit association headed by Ronald Lewis Facchinetti. Facchinetti's curatorial philosophy is described in his book "Beauty Inside", and it is primarily concerned with helping the viewer achieve the "aesthetic experience" while isolated inside a container and in front of the work of art. ContainerArt also operates as an international franchise with partners in various countries, including Brazil, China, Canada and Israel.

Partners

ContainerArt has a Content Partner philosophy by which some containers are curated by institutions, museums or associations. Past content partners include Gamec, Festival Internazionale di Poesia Zoneattive, Premio Celeste and Oyoyoy! Festival.

Selection process

ContainerArt projects that are not curated by content partners are directly chosen by Ronald Lewis Facchinetti in association with local co-curators or franchisees. Any artist can apply by sending a project and filling out an application available on the ContainerArt website.

Artists exhibit for free. Artists whose project is approved are assigned a container in which to exhibit their work. The event allows them to display their project in an unusual context with wide access to the general population of a city.