In/visibles, 1-29 Settembre 2018, Galerie Remp Arts, Durban-Corbières, Francia

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dedicated to my family, Claudio Cravero, Claudio Isgrò (I’m particularly grateful to him), Sylvie Romieu, Anthony Sestito and all my… “similar”.

The home. ‘Interiors’

di G. Regnani

gerardo.regnani@gmail.com

abstract

 

Before The home – ‘Interiors’  I created a previous polyptych on the home. That work was more oriented to the presentation of a possible repertory of forms of the myth. This time, however, the previous mythical dimension remains in the background, almost silent, leaving space for a more melancholic mythology of daily life. A less fortunate daily life that I ideally investigated through (“low fi”) photography, during my imaginary inquiry to give form to the invisible. I tried to investigate and reread (also for personal reasons) further possible relationships between the idea of the home and that of the disease. To do this, I started from the many options of the myth with the one that interprets the home as a serene physical and/or spiritual place. So, the stereotype that has always imagined it almost exclusively positively could/should, if necessary, be integrated/revised with the opposing idea of a dimension that is sometimes less benevolent and fortunate while still remaining a stronghold of tenacious opposition to the adversities of life and, however, symbolic bastion of faith in the future.

Roma, 2 November 2017

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The polyptych The home. “Interiors” will be exhibited during the exhibition: In/visibles, 1-29 September 2018, Galerie Remp Arts, Durban-Corbières, France (***). Authors: Claudio Cravero, Turin and Gerardo Regnani, Rome. Curator: Claudio Isgrò and Sylvie Romieu. Further information below, at the end of the text The home – “Interiors”, and on the site: https://www.galerie-remp-arts.com/copie-de-saison-2017.

 Claudio Cravero, s.t.    In/visibles    G. Regnani, The home. ‘Interiors’, n. 11

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G. Regnani, polyptych The home. “Interiors”

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G. Regnani, polyptych The home. “Interiors”
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(*), (**), (***) –> info below: the technical and illustrative sheet and info expo.

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music:

Emanuele Regnani, Birth, 2018, 00:05:26

free download: https://soundcloud.com/flew-music/birth

a reduced version (full text below)

The home. ‘Interiors’

Some time ago, I created a polyptych on the home. That work, although ‘polluted’ by my experience, was more oriented to the presentation of a possible repertory of forms of the myth, a sort of micro-catalogue of its varieties and the related, hypothetical collective imagination. This time, however, the previous mythical dimension remains in the background, almost silent, leaving space for a more melancholic mythology of daily life, a less fortunate daily life that I ideally investigated during my imaginary inquiry to give form to the invisible through photography.

To do this, I started from a simple, as not irrelevant, observation. Everything has an aesthetic and a dialectic – technically of the means of communication, even when these properties seem to be absent or even denied. Photography, among the different types of media, with its immense visual heritage since the very beginning, continues to offer a sample of practically infinite examples. Among the many topics investigated by the medium, the home, charged with myths and stereotypes, is certainly an exemplary case. It offers such a wide choice of aesthetic/dialectic variants that it includes the most diverse expressions and, as such, also those diametrically opposed.

I started from the many options of the myth with the one that interprets the home as a serene physical and/or spiritual place. A magic, fairy-tale treasure chest, a happy environment where the best of our most precious, representative ‘treasures’ can be stored, cared for and shared.

In particular, our loved ones. And that’s how it is, usually.

For other less pleasant ‘assets’, like the deep wounds that life, unfortunately, sometimes inflicts on us and the home can and/or must, in any case, harbour and safeguard, I think that it often once again proposes a certain silence, a shadowing.

So, the stereotype that has always imagined it almost exclusively positively –  well-founded yet superseded – could/should, if necessary, be integrated/revised with the opposing idea of a dimension that is sometimes less benevolent and fortunate while still remaining a stronghold of tenacious opposition to the adversities of life and, however, symbolic bastion of faith in the future.

In this introduction, I have tried to re-evoke, indirectly and by hints, an intimate dimension of the home that is different from the common, benevolent clichés through an imaginary, personal narrative path. A different status that, alternatively, marks it as a reality that is sometimes dark and sorrowful but not necessarily as a place of surrender and failure. Anything but!

Rome, 2 November 2017 (translation by: Opitrad)

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full text

The home. “Interiors”

Back then, I created a polyptych dedicated to the theme of the home.

My previous one work, even though it was also “polluted” by my experience, was more oriented on presenting a possible repertoire of forms of myth, a sort of microcatalogue of its varieties and of the relative, hypothetical and collective imaginary.

However, on this occasion, the previous mythical dimension is pushed into the background, almost silent, and gives way to a mournful mythology of everyday life.

A less fortunate daily life, that is evoked only indirectly and with some references, a less fortunate daily life that is never explicitly shown and which I ideally investigated during my imaginary inquiry to give form to the invisible through (“low fi“) photography.

In order to do so, I started from a fundamental, but not irrelevant, observation: everything is endowed with an aesthetic and a dialectic – technically, the means of communication – even when these properties seem to be absent or even denied.

Still death, whether seen live or mediated, owns it anyway. Usually this distressing screenplay is delineated by a succession of dreadful moments, which are not infrequently characterised by a surreal and apparent absence of dialectics. After all, death is a situation in which – by statute – any dialectical opposition with anyone are not allowed.

It is the sore and unchanging denial of any comparison and it never shows mercy to anyone.

It is always implacable in front of any form of life.

As I said before, everything starting from death on, also communicates through aesthetic and dialectic expressions – which can be material, immaterial, unstable and peculiar – even when they seem to be absent and / or appear to be returned to sender.

Among the various media, photography, from its outset, continues to offer us a selection of practically infinite examples, thanks to its immense visual heritage.

Among the many subjects of the medium’s investigation, the home, with its load of myth and stereotypes, is certainly an exemplary case, since it offers such a wide choice of aesthetic / dialectic variants and it’s able to understand the most disparate or, in some cases, even antithetical expressions.

Among the countless options of the myth – considering that it is functional to the “discourse” intrinsic in this final work I carried out – I started from the one which interprets the home as a serene physical and / or spiritual place. A magical treasure chest, a merry environment made to preserve, protect and share in the best way our most precious and symbolic “treasures”.

First and foremost, our loved ones. That’s usually how it is. However, for what concerns other “goods” less relished, such as the deep wounds that life, unfortunately, may inflict on us and which still need to be hosted and safeguarded by the home, it appears to me that a certain code of silence, goes on back and forth frequently. This can include, among all the possible torments: a harassing feeling, an emotional breakdown, a drug addiction, a handicap and, last but not least (for personal reasons), a severe pathology. In such circumstances, the reticence I have mentioned before can hide, behind the smokescreen of the positive ideal of the home, something diametrically opposed, that’s to say a space of segregation, isolation and brutalization.

Therefore, the home can turn out to be an unhealthy place which should be avoided. A stagnant swamp of psychophysical misery where, for the most diverse reasons, people tend to hide and relegate those unwelcome “interiors” that unfortunately fate, sometimes makes us experience and undergo, rather than showing them.

Thus, the stereotype which has always imagined the home almost exclusively in a positive key – valid as much as, perhaps, stale – could / should, where appropriate, be integrated / revised with the adverse idea that depicts an occasionally less benevolent and lucky dimension.

A physical/abstract place (equally) possible, certainly less desirable and enviable, since at times it also hosts the ground hell of the disease.

A disease intended as the darkest and most terrible fraction of existence, as Maria Giulia Dondero in “Fotografare il sacro” and Robert F. Murphy in “The body silent” have effectively underlined, even if from different as well as interconnected perspectives (semiotic, anthropological, etc., see Appendices 1 and 2).

Therefore, the home is also regarded as a place of suffering and pain, while still remaining a presidium of tenacious opposition to the adversities of life and, in any case, a symbolic bastion of trust in the future.

In this regard, I recall that health is considered by the WHO a fundamental right of humanity and it is not meant as the pure and simple absence of illness, but as a person’s state of complete physical, psychic and social well-being.

A psychophysical and social well-being that, evidently, an unfortunate diagnosis tends to deny and dissipate, since it is usually “armed”of a bitter and cruel antidialectic, similarly to death.

A strong unwillingness to mediate, “reinforced” at times by an equally dramatic and insensitive aesthetic which, instead of mitigating, can further accentuate the status of malaise and distress which the doomed protagonist experiences.

Against this backdrop, I tried to evoke – in indirect ways and only with some references, as I said before – an intimate dimension of the home, different from the common and positive cliche, by using an imaginary and personal narrative path. A different status that, conversely, describes the home as a reality which can sometimes be dark and painful, but not necessarily as a place of surrender and defeat.

Anything but that!

Therefore, in order to fulfil this hypothetical and imaginary investigation, I imagined myself committing an infringement, with an attached (always unreal) robbery, by ideally entering a home to secretly take some pictures; thus “violating” its intimacy. I am talking about fictitious houses, of course, that host people, imaginary as well, who are anonymous and seriously ill. It is about, exactly, a miniseries of twenty houses, all inhabited by like-minded individuals who are, very often, social pariah, almost “invisible”.

Common souls, like many more, that I have theoretically imagined, in part or completely, locked up within the walls of a house/prison. Sometimes they are besieged, by a deep despair due to a bitter diagnosis related to a pathology that, even though it appears to be not entirely incurable, sometimes remains incurable. A difficult, discriminatory and, occasionally even precociously lethal condition.

Therefore, I have supposed to enter on tiptoe into some of these mournful apartments and to secretly spy on some imaginary lives. I ideally brought back – and it’s the thin loot condensed in my work – some photographs (fragments of interiors, small things at home) of the environments inhabited by these hypothetical guests / invalids, of whom I have also sketched some microscopic personal and health profiles, also fictitious, made up of: names, places, clinical signs, etc.

In order to make my imaginary investigative / narrative path more “legible”, the images proposed share the perimeter of my work with some other small and symbolic “reinforcements”, summarized in a miscellany of reworkings, which are anonymous and partial as well, of: clinical documents, sector studies, health data, etc.

In addiction, the “loot”, that isn’t just made of pictures, which I have hypothetically subtracted to the domestic intimacy of these houses – and that I will virtually share through my works – are like slender cultural constructs, like a sort of evanescent personal imaginary. An abstract scenario, neither implausible nor, much less, far from the everyday life of many people who are unfortunately affected by pathologies that are sometimes progressively disabling and / or precociously lethal. It is about, sometimes, lives marked by a disease perceived as something ineluctable, as a ruthless private destiny, perhaps due to its own structural deficiency. Sometimes, it’s a “defect” with no hope of recovery, which connotes the disease as an ontological, inherent character, of human existence.

A miserable microworld, hypothetical as it may be, that I have therefore summarised metaphorically in this work and that is opposed, once again, to a disgracedly widespread and real social scenario (I refer, in particular, to Italy). In this regard, avoiding, here, to talk about other and explicit positions and / or personal polemics, I shall confine myself to remember the long and never easy journey – not just legislative – made in order to achieve a better exploitation of “Differences” of all kind: gender, personal data, geographical, competence, etc.

An itinerary that is often all uphill and marked by a plurality of barriers – especially cultural – which can sometimes be very difficult to overcome. I touch upon the issue, because I hope that greater and better guarantees of integration, balance and social justice will be further favoured, also through policies which should be more inclusive. In this perspective, I also hope for a more widespread and sensitive attention to equally delicate issues, such as the Suicide Act. Our excessively civilised Europe, even in this field, does not represent a virtuous example. In fact, the Old Continent registers a still uneven and unbalanced framework that presents relevant differences among the diverse national laws which can sometimes be very innovative but which can also be characterised, even excessively, by delays and strong “resistances” of all sort.

For these reasons, I hope I managed to give a more “political” connotation to the imaginary investigation condensed into my works, which may be simple, but ambitious.

Primarily, I am talking about the ambition to counter the widespread stereotypes and prejudices about who lives with a disability – congenital or acquired that it can be – by trying, at the same time, to stimulate a more positive orientation in this regard.

It is a  better arrangement that, while remembering concretely how much a damned disease can plausibly take away from us, can highlight, in contrast, what it should never (hopefully) take away from us, that is: the strength to resist and fight and, last but not least, … hope!

Maybe even the hope to reintegrate in a dignified way, consistently with the nature of one’s pathology, in the emotional and social structure of reference.

A trust and a dialectic that could be fostered, among other things, by the expectation of auspicable developments in the field of research, by the likelihood of still being socially and  affectively useful, as well as by an understandable and human desire … to last longer.

The reference to some particular diseases (see attached list), rather than to others, is just casual, without being scientific or defiler. On the contrary, I would hope it could be supportive, humanistic and, perhaps, potentially transcendent. This means capable of referring to understand the human figure as a “high” entity, both physical and intellectual, which is part of an extraordinary ecosystem in which spirit and biology, as well as abstract and matter, are able to coexist in an incessant mutual interrelation.

Until the end!

Until they merge into one identity, mingling with death and thus becoming pure abstraction, memory and, who knows, maybe even myth: personal, domestic, collective… like could probably be the houses where these imaginary unfortunate companions of struggle and … resistance found hospitality, even if temporary!

No matter how vague could be the picture I have outlined, this is the cultural background, the imaginary social map- also aesthetic and dialectic – I have been struggling with when “entering” these twenty anonymous houses.

Rome, November 2nd 2017

G. Regnani

P.S.: Through this work – perhaps the hardest for me, on an emotional level – apart from highlighting the aesthetic and dialectical dimension, I have also tried to indirectly answer ito a question which is in some respects similar to the one already posed by the previous research, that is: could the disease be a form of communication?

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Appendix 1

The body silent

In all the houses where I have been, as in others, I have noticed, among all the different objects, a large number of books. I remembered having already looked through one of them in a bookshop before. Therefore, I decided to take it… to “borrow” it.

I am talking about “The body silent” written by Robert F. Murphy. It is about the theme of the disability, analysed by the technical prospective of the anthropologist, who at first became paraplegic, and then tetraplegic.

Murphy considers the disease, through the progressive degradation of the body, as a painful picklock that opens the doors to a different dimension, to a sort of getaway from the world that interrupts and disrupts the usual social roles and makes the patient feel brand new. This situation, in relation to the severity of the pathology, exonerates the patient, partly or completely, from his own previous social duties. However, it is a dispensation connected to a specific counterpart (ideological, I wonder?): to do everything possible to recover.

This happens because the infirmity undergoes its own and specific rules, paradoxically even when these cannot be respected or there is no need for them to be respected. This occurs by radicalizing, I reckon, in particular to c.d. “Therapeutic obstinacy” and, more generally, to those therapeutic pathways that assume forms of paroxysms which are close to schizophrenia, like, as I said before, pathologies which sometimes, however curable, can not be cured. However, the infirm has no choice, overburdened, as he is, with the encumbrance of making every possible effort in order to improve his own health conditions. Any deficiency, any failure is regarded as an absence of commitment, and even as an unwanted and / or premature sign of abandonment.

In this cultural undergrowth, the most difficult thing is still the need to endure the progressive disband of one’s independence of choice, because the infirm (even more if he’s disabled) is unfortunately forced to depend, more or less completely, on others.

In this way, a constant decline in self-esteem and a progressive and ruthless incursion – a real usurpation –  of the mind due to the disease are bitterly experimented. Together with this feeling, one can see the growth of a boundless rage, fueled by the sad awareness of having acquired an unprecedented, even if unwelcome, diversity. Moreover, by experiencing at first the unbelief of discovering to be sick and then the disability in a progressive way, the infirmity touches intimate and delicate ropes and feeds an existential wrath for an endless affliction and a growing desire for rebellion towards the entire world.

A hateful feeling of guilt, mixed with shame, tend irrationally to emerge even if unfounded.

The infirm also experiences the further form of embarrassment and resentment linked, in particular, to those circumstances in which their difficulties are more or less visible (motoric, dialectics, mnemonic, etc.), with the inevitable mortification of having to deal with them anyway.

Let’s think, however trivial it may be, about ordinary acts of daily life.

Therefore, the emergence of the disease involves a continuous reconsideration and a qualitative / quantitative remodeling of one’s social role, with inexorable and sometimes heavy repercussions on one’s own relational microsystem of reference.

I am talking about a potential and gradual crumble of social relationships, with the consequent withdrawal from potentially more anxiety-producing contexts and, in general, from contacts with others. The progressive thinning of relationships prior to the onset of disabling pathology can sometimes be compensated by the search for new affections, perhaps … between “like-minded ones”.

Moreover, the infirm needs to re-discuss everything in an incessant and intense confrontation between his own self and others, between himself and his surroundings, but above all, between himself and … himself!

In this perspective, the progressive loss of autonomy, related to one’s own world, inevitably gains the upper hand, gradually becoming “the” central condition of the daily life of a disabled person.

“The dependency from the disease is much more than simple physical reliance upon others, for it begets a kind of lopsided social relationship that is all encompassing, existential, and in some ways more crippling than the physical defect itself. It is not so much a state of body as a state of mind, a condition that warps all one’s other social ties and further contaminates the identity of the dependent. This state of dependency invades and erodes the basics [editor’s note] on which social relations are founded. ”

It is a cruel assault that challenges- on several fronts – both the “chosen victim” and his social and emotional bonds, even the strongest and lasting ones.

During the evolution of the infirmity, one discovers, among other things, the concept of liminality, intended as that condition of transition from a social situation – usually better, not just for what concerns health- to another. And it is precisely in the transit between the two conditions that one encounters this liminal dimension, this “social limbo” populated with indefinite and standing in mid-air lives.

It is a frustrating dimension in which those suffering from a severe pathology:

“[…] are neither sick nor well, neither dead nor fully alive, neitherout of society nor wholly in it. They are human beings but their bodies are warped or malfunctioning, leaving their full humanity in doubt. […] anything but deviant, they are the counterpoint of everyday life. “

In order to consider the state of infirmity in its entirety, it is not enough to analyse only the social component, because it does not explain the multidimensional variety and articulation of the disease, composed, as it is, from experiences, relationships, emotions, contexts, symbols, meanings, etc.

This multidimensionality – that connates in different ways the ontology of the disease and its immanence in human existence – affects several areas: the scientific knowledge, the personal relationship with one’s own physiology, the relationships between the individual and the surrounding social reality and those between themselves and the natural environment and / or artificial reference.

Therefore, the body of the infirm, “exposed”, helpless and losing is unfortunately the (real and / or virtual) vulnerable place where one experiences the loss of functions / faculties and the related humiliations, thus becoming an evident symbol of human frailty.

In the progressive and changing definition of the pathology, one can moreover assist to the creation of a rift, gradually wider and sometimes unattainable, between what it previously was and how much, in the here and now, the body of the patient has become – not only physically. A before and after that come to terms with the stereotype, hard to die, of the subject “according to law”, compared to what it is not anymore.

The patient, especially the one who lives a physical impairment, repeatedly experiences it, among other things, among the looks / comments of others on his disability, both in public places and in private ones, in the race to daily obstacles between environments designed not infrequently only for able-bodied people, that force them to continuous and sometimes difficult, if not impossible, adaptations, stress, etc.

A network of hardships that, together with the impossibility of conveniently governing the growing deficits of one’s own body, further degrades the quality, already more or less compromised, of everyday life.

In these circumstances, a sort of outsourcing of identity can emerge: an estrangement, a form of alienation and distancing of the mind that “escapes” from the sick body. A status called “disembodiment.”

“My solution to the problem was the radical dissociation from the body, a sort of externalization of identity […] My thoughts and sense of being alive have been reported to my brain where I now reside and which, more than ever, is the base from which I reach out and grab the world. “

Therefore, all this feelings, the real state and the physiology of the body assume a subordinate role, becoming a sort of background, as if it were something detached and “distant”.

In this way, all possible life is into the custody of the mind.

No other “trip”, while reading “The silence of the body”, seems to have ever been so pervasive and addictive!

Appendix 2

“Fotografare il sacro”

One of the founding values of this work, inspired by the aforementioned “Fotografare il sacro” written by Maria Giulia Dondero, is linked to the idea that life is still a gift, regardless of who / what / where it is supposed to have possibly come from. A gift that I believe is always worthwhile … to live, possibly fully, even within the limits of a dignified existence.

A gift that can evoke, if authentic, even a sacred and transcendent dimension, in particular for its gratuitous and “disorganized” nature, linked, as it is, also to chance. A dimension without counterfeits, without contingent tactics and / or medium or long-term strategies. An unmotivated gift, instinctive and sublime at the same time, as it can be a dawn. An advent, a pure donation, which can assume the profile of an “irresponsible” gesture that, like an unconscious act, is foreign even to its donor. Since it is, therefore, impersonal, it is free from any need for social counterbalancing. It can also be imagined, on an extreme level, as an act without a name, unknown even to itself; therefore devoid of a relationship with someone / something. It has no face, and no identity.

It is anonymous, invisible, just like the guests of the houses in which, in spirit, my immaterial avatar appeared. Even for a while, another part of myself…has “been there”!

Appendix 3

“Lector in fabula”

I did not imagine this “burglary” alone, but with the deferred intervention of (so many, I hope!) other anonymous collaborators / accomplices: the observers / spectators of my work.

They are special accomplices: they are “receivers”, to be exact. They are also business partners, who further recharge my loot by integrating it with their personal contribution and then by placing it in an equally imaginary trafficking of stolen goods. This market can also be enriched as much as possible, thanks to the gaze of other possible futures spectators / accomplices.

The starting point, with all the limits of the case, comes from the theories of Umberto Eco in his Lector in fabula, which deals with the theme of the interpretation of the text as a task of the reader.

Analogously to the ideal reader of Eco, I would like to stipulate a sort of deal with the occasional observer / spectator of my works, which, can last long, hopefully, even after the occasional view of the work.

I am talking about a hypothetical re-reading contract and an additional attribution / integration of meaning to the works I propose. Moreover, in this cooperative perspective, the purely happy mythology about the home of which I mentioned earlier could also be reconsidered.

In this cooperative humus, the ideal viewer / observer is not a “naive”. On the contrary, he has all the potential – both during and after the vision, even fleeting, of my works – to contribute and re-read my works from his point of view and (re) create, if necessary, the meaning of my text.

He could also “give voice” to other probable stories of human endurance, however limited may result in the sparse and distorted information / clues of departure that he could find in my work.

Therefore, I would like him to join me in a sort of “network”, in order to explore and share this dimension of struggle, resistence and hope, between what I said and what I did not say in my works.

He would do it by using his personal skills and sensibilities and by connecting them to the references that I hope he will find in my works. I would also like him to become a true co-author (however temporary) which, starting from my cues, could reconstruct at least temporarily, one or more plausible stories of imaginary guests of the aforementioned houses.

In this collective undertaking, thinking again of Eco, this hypothetical and ideal co-author will work together with me so that the (re) narration, possibly stimulated by my work, can “function” in the best way, even for all those who will share it in the future.

Going further into detail, in a more technical perspective, in these virtual explorations the interpretative cooperation I mentioned before could develop gradually, by inferential and inductive fractions.

In this work, in fact, the starting generalisation I mentioned before – that is, the home, with its sad “interiors” – is an induced generalization rather than an inferred one. More specifically, this happens because it starts from uncertain premises offered by my photographs of small domestic components which are not undoubtedly and not linearly always and attributable to the generalization / home itself.

Having said this, the objects, the environments photographed and the generalization/house represented in my work, are connected to each other with a quantitative relation, that’s to say by specifying the part for the whole (so-called synecdoche). Therefore, I have evoked the imaginary house indirectly, through the representation of: a vase, a piece of furniture, an accessory, a frame, etc.

Otherwise, albeit similar, the other parallel generalization to which my work is connected – the disease, in its most dramatic sense – and the semantic “reinforcements” previously mentioned (clinical documents, sector studies, health data, etc.), is based on a substitutive relation, that is to say by specifying something in place of something else (c. metonymy). In this case, I refer to the disease by using metaphorical “reinforcements” related to what I have just re-mentioned.

I am talking about a double generalization (the house and the status of illness) that, as I pointed out before, was not entirely explicit in these works. Thus, it may not appear immediately evident or easily “readable”.

Vice versa, if my works / premises had recalled some clichés in a less cryptic manner, I could perhaps have given to the observer more direct and deductive cause for reflection, in which the probable conclusions would seem to follow consistently my works / premise.

This is, I realize, a tortuous and tendentially hermetic interpretative route but it was important for me to start from small and simple fragments of this not easy and unhappy daily life (metaphor, too, of the “little things” to whom the work refers) in order to then go back to a “discourse”, I hope, with a wider scope.

Finally, I specify that I have always interpreted what I mentioned in the initial part of my work- therefore, not only my works – as a true text that needs to be understood not exclusively as a work text (written, book, article, etc.) but, in a semiotic meaning, as a formal container of sense that has to be decoded.

Some references

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Maria Giulia Dondero, Photographing the sacred, Booklet, Milan;

Umberto Eco, Lector in fabula, Bompiani, Milan;

Robert F. Murphy, The silence of the body, Erickson ed., Trento;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_abbreviations_for_diseases_and_disorders;

http://www.icd10data.com/;

http://www.who.int/en/.

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. (translation by: G. Altomare)

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The home. ‘Interiors’

technical and illustrative sheet

The polyptych

• the polyptych entitled The home. “Interior” is composed of n. 21 works
• each work measures approximately 50 x 50 cm
• the layout is as follows:

• the central work (the number 11), in particular:
  • it is formally similar to other images, but different in content
  • it asks the viewer a question about communication
  • metaphorically summarizes the entire polyptych
• each of the other 20 images is dedicated to a patient and his illness (both imaginary)
• in each work there are two photographs: a central one and a contour, placed in the background, which “frames” the one visible in the center (both modified with a photo editor)
  • every central photograph, with the exception of the work n. 11, depicts details of interior/exterior and/or furniture/accessories of the houses in which “I entered” during my imaginary investigation
  • each photograph in the background depicts a reworking of parts of hypothetical and anonymous documents related to the illness of the imaginary protagonist of the work, such as, for example: sector research, graphs, health data, clinical analyzes, etc.
• the information relating to each imaginary protagonist of each work, except the central one, is summarized in a imaginary small personal and medical data sheet, printed in superimpression, indicating: name, city, age, blood group, initials of the disease, ICD-10 code^(*); in particular, the name of the city indicated in each personal data card visible on each work is the name of the main cities of Italy’s Region
  • the layout of the sheet is as follows:

(**) Index of names, cities, acronyms of diseases

1. Pietro R., Firenze, DMD
2. Silvio B., Torino, RA
3. Amalia M., Bari, AD
4. Marina B., Milano, SLE
5. Mario L., Trieste, HIV
6. Sara T., Perugia, ALL
7. Arianna P., Cagliari, OA
8. Luca P., Genova, HD
9. Giovanni F. , Aosta, EPI
10. Maria Z., Catanzaro, CGG
11. A question about communication
12. Maura D., Potenza, SOB
13. Fabio V., Bologna, CF
14. Aldo S., Roma, NB
15. Michele G., Trento, PD
16. Ada G., Napoli, EDS
17. Luciana C., Venezia, MS
18. Flavia Q., Ancona, NF
19. Riccardo B. , L’Aquila, RRP
20. Rosa G., Palermo, LC
21. Vincenzo C. , Campobasso, IBD

(**) Index of paragraphs

1. DMD Duchenne muscular dystrophy
2. RA Rheumatoid arthritis
3. AD Malattia di Alzheimer/Maladie d’Alzheimer/Alzheimer’s disease
4. SLE Lupus eritematoso sistemico/Lupus érythémateux disséminé/Systemic lupus erythematosus
5. HIV Virus dell’immunodeficienza umana/Virus de l’immunodéficience/Human                Immunodeficiency Virus
6. ALL Leucemia linfoblastica acuta/Leucémie aiguë lymphoblastique/Acute            lymphoblastic leukemia
7. OA Osteoartrosi/Arthrose/Osteoarthritis
8. HD Malattia di Huntington/Maladie de Huntington/Huntington’s disease
9. EPI Epilessia/Épilepsie/Epilepsy
10. CGG Coagulopatia/Coagulopathie/Coagulopathy
11. SOB Dispnea/Dyspnée/Shortness of breath
12. CF Cystic fibrosis
13. NB Neuroblastoma
14. PD Parkinson’s disease
15. EDS Excessive daytime sleepiness
16. MS Multiple sclerosis
17. NF Necrotizing fasciitis
18. RRP Laryngeal papillomatosis
19. LC Cirrhosis
20. IBD Chron’s desease

Some brief information on diseases

(The general information below is not medical advice and may therefore not be accurate. The contents have, in any case, only a simple illustrative purpose and do not in any way replace the doctor’s opinion).

(*,**) Desease’s list

1. DMD Duchenne muscular dystrophy

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G71.0

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy. The symptom of muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four in boys and worsens quickly. Typically muscle loss occurs first in the upper legs and pelvis followed by those of the upper arms. This can result in trouble standing up. Most are unable to walk by the age of 12. Affected muscles may look larger due to increased fat Scoliosis is also common. Some may have intellectual disability. Females with a single copy of the defective gene may show mild symptoms. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare progressive disease which eventually affects all voluntary muscles and involves the heart and breathing muscles in later stages. As of 2013, the life expectancy is estimated to be around 25 but this varies. With excellent medical care males are often living into their 30s. No cure for muscular dystrophy is known.

2. RA Rheumatoid arthritis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M05

• Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involved, with the same joints typically involved on both sides of the body. RA is most frequent during middle age and women are affected 2.5 times as frequently as men. The disease may also affect other parts of the body. While the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not clear, it is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

3. AD Alzheimer’s disease

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G30

• Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerativedisease that usually starts slowly and worsens over time. It is the cause of 60% to 70% of cases of dementia. There are no medications or supplements that decrease risk. No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms. In developed countries, AD is one of the most financially costly diseases. It most often begins in people over 65 years of age. The exact cause of disease is unknown.

4. SLE Systemic lupus erythematosus

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M32

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also known simply as lupus, is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary between people and may be mild to severe. Common symptoms include painful and swollen joints, fever, chest pain, hair loss, mouth ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, feeling tired, and a red rash which is most commonly on the face. Often there are periods of illness, called flares, and periods of remission during which there are few symptoms. Diagnosis can be difficult and is based on a combination of symptoms and laboratory tests. The cause of SLE is not clear. It is thought to involve genetics together with environmental Life expectancy is lower among people with SLE. SLE significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease with this being the most common cause of death. With modern treatment about 80% of those affected survive more than 15 years. Women with lupus have pregnancies that are higher risk but are mostly successful. There is no cure for SLE.

5. HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code B20

• The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that causes HIV infection and over time acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted Infection and occurs by the contact or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids. Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant through breast milk. An HIV-positive mother can transmit HIV to her baby in during pregnancy, and childbirth. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells.

6. ALL Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code C91

• Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common type of leukemia in young children. It also affects adults, especially those 65 and older. Leukemia, also spelled leukaemia, is a group of cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells. These white blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells. Without treatment, these symptoms worsen quickly and result in death within weeks to months. The exact cause of disease is unknown.

7. OA Osteoarthritis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M19.91

• Osteoarthritis is a type of joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Initially, symptoms may occur only following exercise, but over time may become constant. The most commonly involved joints are those near the ends of the fingers, at the base of the thumb, neck, lower back, knee, and hips. Usually the symptoms come on over years. It can affect work and normal daily activities. Unlike other types of arthritis, only the joints are typically affected. Causes include previous joint injury, abnormal joint or limb development, and inherited Risk is greater in those who are overweight, have one leg of a different length, and have jobs that result in high levels of joint stress.

8. HD Huntington’s disease

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G10

• Huntington’s disease, also known as Huntington’s chorea, is an inherited disorder that results in death of brain cells. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait often follow. As the disease advances, uncoordinated, jerky body movements become more apparent. Physical abilities gradually worsen until coordinated movement becomes difficult and the person is unable to talk. Mental abilities generally decline into dementia. Symptoms usually begin between 30 and 50 years of age, but can start at any age.

9. EPI Epilepsy

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G40.31

• Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures are episodes that can vary from brief and nearly undetectable to long periods of vigorous shaking. These episodes can result in physical injuries including occasionally broken bones. In epilepsy, seizures tend to recur and as a rule, have no immediate underlying cause. Isolated seizures that are provoked by a specific cause such as poisoning are not deemed to represent epilepsy. People with epilepsy in some areas of the world experience varying degrees of social stigma due to their condition. The cause of most cases of epilepsy is unknown. Some cases occur as the result of brain injury, stroke, brain tumors, infections of the brain, and birth defects, through a process known as epileptogenesis. Known genetic mutations are directly linked to a small proportion of cases. Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity in the cortex of the brain.

10. CGG Coagulopathy

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code D68.9

• Coagulopathy (also called a bleeding disorder) is a condition in which the blood’s ability to coagulate (form clots) is impaired. This condition can cause a tendency toward prolonged or excessive bleeding (bleeding diathesis), which may occur spontaneously or following an injury or medical and dental procedures. Of note, coagulopathies are sometimes erroneously referred to as “clotting disorders”; a clotting disorder is a predisposition to clot formation (thrombus), also known as a hypercoagulable state or thrombophilia. Symptoms can start at any age.

11. SOB Shortness of breath

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R06

• Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea, is a feeling like one cannot breathewell enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as “a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” Distinct sensations include effort/work, chest tightness, and air hunger (the feeling of not enough oxygen).  Dyspnea is a normal symptom of heavy exertion but becomes pathological if it occurs in unexpected situations or light exertion. In 85% of cases it is due to asthma, pneumonia, cardiac ischemia, interstitial lung disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or psychogenic causes, such as panic disorderand anxiety. Treatment typically depends on the underlying cause (which may be either acute or chronic).

12. CF Cystic fibrosis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code E84

• Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. Other signs and symptoms may include sinus infections, poor growth, fatty stool, clubbing of the fingers and toes, and infertility in some males. Different people may have different degrees of symptoms. The condition is diagnosed by a sweat test and genetic testing. Screening of infants at birth takes place in some areas of the world. There is no known cure for cystic fibrosis. Symptoms can start by six months of age.

13. NB Neuroblastoma

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code C74.90

• Neuroblastoma is a malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified adrenal gland. It is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands, but can also develop in the neck, chest, abdomen, or spine. NB is the most common cancer in babies and the third most common cancer in children after leukemia and brain cancer. The exact cause of disease is unknown.

14. PD Parkinson’s disease

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G20

• Paralysis agitansis a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous systemthat mainly affects the motor system. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, with treatment directed at improving symptoms. Parkinson’s disease typically occurs in people over the age of 60, of which about one percent are affected. The cause of Parkinson’s disease is generally unknown, but believed to involve both genetic and environmental factors.

15. EDS Excessive daytime sleepiness

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R40.0

• Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is characterized by persistent sleepiness and often a general lack of energy, even during the day after apparently adequate or even prolonged nighttime sleep. EDS can be considered as a broad condition encompassing several sleep disorders where increased sleep is a symptom, or as a symptom of another underlying disorder like narcolepsy, sleep apnea or a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Some persons with EDS, including those with hypersomnias like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day; fighting off increasingly strong urges to sleep during inappropriate times such as while driving, while at work, during a meal, or in conversations. As the compulsion to sleep intensifies, the ability to complete tasks sharply diminishes, often mimicking the appearance of intoxication. However, it is important to distinguish between occasional daytime sleepiness and excessive daytime sleepiness, which is chronic. During occasional unique and/or stimulating circumstances, a person with EDS can sometimes remain animated, awake and alert, for brief or extended periods of time. EDS can affect the ability to function in family, social, occupational, or other settings.

16. MS Multiple sclerosis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G35

• Chronic progressive multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating diseasein which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems. MS is the most common autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. The disease usually begins between the ages of 20 and 50 and is twice as common in women as in men. The exact cause of disease is unknown.

17. NF Necrotizing fasciitis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M72.6

• Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), commonly known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that results in the death of the body’s soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms include red or purple skin in the affected area, severe pain, fever, and vomiting. The most commonly affected areas are the limbs and perineum. Early diagnosis is difficult as the disease often looks early on like a simple superficial skin infection. While a number of laboratory and imaging modalities can raise the suspicion for necrotizing fasciitis, the gold standard for diagnosis is a surgical exploration in the setting of high suspicion. When in doubt, a small “keyhole” incision can be made into the affected tissue, and if a finger easily separates the tissue along the fascial plane, the diagnosis is confirmed and an extensive debridement should be performed.

18. RRP Laryngeal papillomatosis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code C32.3

• Laryngeal papillomatosis, also known as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, is a rare medical conditionthat leads to audible changes in voice quality and narrowing of the airway. As a consequence of the narrowing of the laryngeal or tracheal parts of the airway, shortness of breath, chronic cough and stridor (i.e. noisy breathing which can sound like a whistle or a snore), can be present. As the disease progresses, occurrence of secondary symptoms such as dysphagia, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, failure to thrive, and recurrent upper respiratory infections can be diagnosed. In children, symptoms are usually more severe and often mistaken for manifestations of other diseases such as asthma, croup or bronchitis. Therefore, diagnosis is usually delayed. It is caused by type 6 and 11 human papillomavirus (HPV) infections of the throat, in which benign tumors or papillomas form on the larynx or other areas of the respiratory tract. Due to the recurrent nature of the virus, repeated treatments usually are needed. The evolution of laryngeal papillomatosis is highly variable. Though total recovery may be observed, it is often persistent despite treatment.

19. LC Cirrhosis

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K74

• Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver does not function properly due to long-term damage. This damage is characterized by the replacement of normal liver tissue by scar tissue. Typically, the disease develops slowly over months or years. Cirrhosis is most commonly caused by alcohol, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In severe cirrhosis, a liver transplant may be an option. Some causes of cirrhosis, such as hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccination. Treatment partly depends on the underlying cause. Symptoms can start at any age.

20. IBD Chron’s desease

ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K50.919

• Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. Signs and symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, and weight loss. Other complications may occur outside the gastrointestinal tract and include anemia, skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, and tiredness. The skin rashes may be due to infections as well as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosum. Bowel obstruction also commonly occurs and those with the disease are at greater risk of bowel cancer. While the cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown, it is believed to be due to a combination of environmental, immune, and bacterial factors in genetically susceptible individuals. It results in a chronic inflammatory disorder, in which the body’s immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract possibly directed at microbial antigens.

(*)  The ICD classification (International Classification of Diseases, in particular, International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death) is the international classification of diseases and related problems, drawn up by the World Health Organization (WHO-WHO). ICD is a standard classification for statistical and epidemiological studies, as well as a valid management tool for public health and hygiene. It is today in its tenth edition (ICD-10), approved in 1990 during the 43rd World Health Assembly of the WHO and used since 1994.

(**) The international abbreviation of the disease is indicated in capital letters and/or bold.

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References: Wikipedia.org (December 2017)

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Disclaimer

This work is an entirely imagined work, the result of fantasy. Any reference, therefore, to genuinely existing people or death and/or factual facts is to be considered totally involuntary and therefore purely accidental. Unfortunately, the human dimension to which it makes reference, in various ways/parts, is unimaginative.

—————

(***) Exposition de photographie: In/visibles

Du 1er au 29 septembre 2018, Galerie Remp Arts, Durban-Corbières (France)

Claudio Cravero, s.t.

Gerardo Regnani, , The home. ‘Interiors’, op. n. 1

In/visibles

(auteurs: Claudio Cravero, Turin, et Gérardo Régnani, Rome;: Claudio Isgro, conservateur)

Avec et sans maison. Si l’exposition se résumait à cette dualité, à cette simple

dichotomie, entre le bien et le mal, entre bonheur et malheur, elle perdrait beaucoup

de sa force, répétant, reproduisant un des nombreux clichés qui accompagnent nos

vies.

Au contraire grâce à la capacité, à la finesse interprétative des deux auteurs le

stéréotype réconfortant se brise et nous laisse éperdus, fragiles. Seuls.

Claudio Cravero et Gérardo Régnani exposent, s’exposent, l’un face à l’autre, comme

une confrontation, un duel dialectique entre qui a et qui n’a pas. Leurs regards se

pénètrent, les murs se rapprochent, pourraient s’échanger, ils deviennent miroirs.

Claudio Cravero rencontre les personnes qui n’ont pas de maison. Ils l’ont eue mais

chemin faisant, ils l’ont perdue. Par empathie, pour une promesse, il les photographie.

De ces personnes il n’en fait pas l’objet d’un reportage social, il fait leur portrait.

La différence stylistique et humaine est énorme. Dans son studio à travers la lumière

et l’attention à leurs vies il leurs redonne la dignité perdue. Une lettre manuscrite par

eux-mêmes témoigne de leurs histoires et fait partie intégrante de l’oeuvre finale.

Gérardo Régnani, par effraction virtuelle s’introduit dans des maisons habitées par des

personnes imaginaires et anonymes. Où le stéréotype voudrait trouver le refuge du

bonheur, l’écrin précieux du réconfort familial son travail nous montre des

maisons-prisons habitées par des parias sociaux, des invisibles qui partagent un

diagnostic clinique amer. L’exposition présente un polyptique composé de vingt

maisons qui mêlent bribes d’intimité, fragments d’intérieurs et rapports médicaux.

Les deux auteurs nous proposent des histoires difficiles, in/visibles de notre

contemporanéité. L’art a aussi ce devoir.

Claudio Isgro

(conservateur)

« extrait du texte de l’exposition »

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