PROJECTS / IL SASSO NELLA SCARPA

a project about violence against women

PRESENTED at BIENNALE DEMOCRACY 2017

Having a stone in our shoe happens to all of us sooner or later. And how many times do we calmly continue walking, ignoring it because of its insignificance: after all, it's a minor annoyance, you only feel it at times, in fact, right now I don't feel it at all. No, I'm certainly not stopping now to take off my shoe, shake it off and let it out! Do you see anyone else around here daring to wave their sock in the air making such a fuss over a measly pebble? Shoes are made to stay on your feet, socks to stay well hidden in the shoe, and feet to walk. In fact, to run, because with all this prevaricating I risk being late!

"IL SASSO NELLA SCARPA - La violenza sulle donne nelle piccole cose" is a three-stage journey that questions the link between the public representation of femininity and masculinity in Italy and the gender violence acted out. The reproduction of rigid representations of gender contributes to creating the cultural conditions from which episodes of real violence against women arise. How does this happen? This is the question at the basis of the project to be explored.

In the month of March 2017 will be first hold a "School Table" and then a "City Table". The outcomes of these two events will conclude in the third and final appointment within the programme of the Biennale Democrazia 2017. This final event will put into dialogue two guests – Valeria Palumbo and Franco la Cecla - who are experts in the representation of gender and will discuss the topic from various points of views.

Violence against women is a phenomenon whose still extremely widespread in everyday relationships. This is not because human beings have a natural propensity to violence, and to this one in particular, but because its roots, its forms, its triggers are not at all obvious. On the contrary, they are complex and widespread in the very social and cultural structure of which we are part. In order to effectively prevent the phenomenon, it is essential to understand its true nature and scope. For this reason, the outcome of the elaborations of the School Table and the City Table will be brought into dialogue with the gender experts Valeria Palumbo and Franco la Cecla.

13 March 2017 "School Table”

reserved for fourth classes E and G of the 'Albert Steiner' State Professional Institute, Turin lead by Sophie Brunodet and Patrizia di Lorenzo

20 March 2017 "Tavolo Città"

at the Casa del Teatro Ragazzi e Giovani, Sala Piccola dedicated to the participation of men and women of citizenship lead by Sophie Brunodet and Patrizia di Lorenzo

Sunday, 2 April 2017 "DIALOGUES"

at Circolo dei Lettori, Sala Grande with Valeria Palumbo and Franco la Cecla

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"IL SASSO NELLA SCARPA - La violenza sulle donne nelle piccole cose" is presented in collaboration with La Tenda della Luna, a social promotion association part of the Coordinamento Cittadino contro la Violenza sulle Donne (CCVD), and Centro Servizi Didattici della Città Metropolitana Di Torino.

METHODOLOGY

IL SASSO NELLA SCARPA is an opportunity to address a delicate reflection, that of violence against women, by confronting a part of the school, the students, and the world outside, the citizenship.

Sharing Marzano's thoughts, 'society is in the school, the school is in society', we set ourselves a goal: what are the questions common to the two interlocutors we have addressed and what questions will emerge in a bursting way on the subject of the debate? What is the stone in the shoe? The aim is to activate openness to the other and willingness to listen.

Both in the "SCHOOL TABLE" and in the "CITY TABLE", are used the same methodology with the aim of achieving, over a period of three hours, an active and participative confrontation through contact with one's own feeling, emotions and thinking. In particular, through the stimulation of emotional intelligence, all the subject's feelings come to acquire importance and meaning. The use of active methodologies therefore allows the activation not only of cognitive and technical skills, but also of emotional and relational skills.

The body, its image and its representation are the starting point of the discussion, to then move on to the experience of identity and end with the representations of male and female. The reflection methodology applied involves individual reflections, then small groups by creating homogeneous groups (males only, females only) and heterogeneous groups (males, females and other genders) to conclude in plenary. This makes it possible to encourage comparisons between subjective representations and between dominant representations in diversified groups with a view to a grammar yet to be written.