Imagining Prehistory is a study of the relationship between art, science, and ideology; born from an idea by director Stefano Zampini, developed with the support of archaeologist Nicolò Scialpi.
What are the implications of illustrating scientific data? What is the artist's responsibility in developing the collective imagination?
This is the trailer for our documentary "Mauro Cutrona - Imagining Prehistory," created to begin answering these questions. If you're interested in seeing the full work, please contact us.
What are the implications of illustrating scientific data? What is the artist's responsibility in developing the collective imagination?
This is the trailer for our documentary "Mauro Cutrona - Imagining Prehistory," created to begin answering these questions. If you're interested in seeing the full work, please contact us.
After the documentary, we organized an initial exhibition of Mauro Cutrona's sketches, set up at the Malacarne experimental art space in Verona. The exhibition is modular and can be divided into several sections:
1 - Educational section: from artifact to illustration.
2 - Paleoart section. An exhibition of sketches by paleoartist Mauro Cutrona (or other paleoartists).
3 - In the artist's workshop. A series of sketches created without context, in the style of anatomical studies by Renaissance painters.
4 - Illustrating literature. The purpose of this section is comparative: what differentiates them from scientific illustrations? And what do they have in common?
5 – Screening room for the documentary “Mauro Cutrona - Imagining Prehistory” (ITA, 20 minutes) directed by Stefano Zampini and Nicolò Scialpi, a documentary that presents the work of Mauro Cutrona and questions what it means to imagine prehistory.
We want to re-present the exhibition in institutional spaces.
1 - Educational section: from artifact to illustration.
2 - Paleoart section. An exhibition of sketches by paleoartist Mauro Cutrona (or other paleoartists).
3 - In the artist's workshop. A series of sketches created without context, in the style of anatomical studies by Renaissance painters.
4 - Illustrating literature. The purpose of this section is comparative: what differentiates them from scientific illustrations? And what do they have in common?
5 – Screening room for the documentary “Mauro Cutrona - Imagining Prehistory” (ITA, 20 minutes) directed by Stefano Zampini and Nicolò Scialpi, a documentary that presents the work of Mauro Cutrona and questions what it means to imagine prehistory.
We want to re-present the exhibition in institutional spaces.
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Next steps
Thanks to our complementary skills, we are able to develop a project that is both artistically and scientifically coherent.
We want to make more short documentaries on paleoartists to deepen the dialogue between science and art and we could organize an expanded exhibition on Cutrona or other paleoartists, or on paleoart in general.
But we also want to expand our contacts to study the dialogue between art, science, and ideology in unexplored directions; a theme that we consider central to the development of society.
When we talk about prehistory, we inevitably talk about the present, and the more unaware we are of this, the more susceptible we are to manipulation through the use of images.
We want to make more short documentaries on paleoartists to deepen the dialogue between science and art and we could organize an expanded exhibition on Cutrona or other paleoartists, or on paleoart in general.
But we also want to expand our contacts to study the dialogue between art, science, and ideology in unexplored directions; a theme that we consider central to the development of society.
When we talk about prehistory, we inevitably talk about the present, and the more unaware we are of this, the more susceptible we are to manipulation through the use of images.
Who we are
Stefano Zampini
Director and video producer. After producing two short historical reconstruction films (L’uomo di Val Rosna and Neanderthal) for the University of Ferrara, which were presented at various Italian and international festivals (Lessinia Film Festival, RAM in Rovereto, RAN in Narbonne, Firenze Archeofilm, Festival del cinema archeologico di Licodia Eubea, and others), he began to question what it means to “imagine prehistory” and what his role as an artist was in scientific communication. Talking about these themes with Nicolò Scialpi, whom he met on the set of Neanderthal, the project “Imagining Prehistory” was born, first with the documentary on Mauro Cutrona and later, thanks to his role as curator at the Malacarne experimental art center in Verona, with the creation of the exhibition of the same name.
Nicolò Scialpi
He is an archaeologist, a doctoral student in the Praehistoric and Anthropological Sciences Section of the Department of Humanities at the University of Ferrara, and a science communicator. His research interests focus on Neanderthal mobility, their relationship with the environment and the landscape, and resource gathering in northern Italy. For several years, he has been involved in Third Mission research, especially in prehistory and evolutionary studies, including at Paleolithic sites such as Grotta di Fumane, near Verona.
He collaborates with several Italian museums and European outreach initiatives such as the Ice Age Europe Network and the intergovernmental COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) program iNEAL – Integrating Neandertal Legacy: from past to present.
He collaborates with several Italian museums and European outreach initiatives such as the Ice Age Europe Network and the intergovernmental COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) program iNEAL – Integrating Neandertal Legacy: from past to present.
Contact us
If you're interested in receiving more information about our project, or if you'd like to learn more about us, or if you have any collaborations to offer, please contact us at [email protected]
