Mobility Expo

[map/cover image from: Appennini, 2022, Touring Club Italiano]

A conversation around the relationship between art, mobility and landscape storytelling with the artist Fabio Roncato and the curator Caterina Benvegnù (Progetto Giovani – Comune di Padova) on the 4th of February 2022. How does mobility impact the artistic research practice through the movement of materials and artworks, the encounter of people, curators, inhabitants and artists, and their bodily engagements? How does art contribute to landscape storytelling and our understanding of mobilities? To promote a dialogue between art, university research and education, and the city, the event is curated by the Museum of Geography in collaboration with the Progetto Giovani Office of the Municipality of Padua and hosted by the Laboratorio di Comunicazione Creativa e Landscape Storytelling of the Master Degree in Landscape Sciences (Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Scienze per il Paesaggio) of the University of Padua.

Cover photo credits: Daniele Marzorati

The event Il viaggiatore tra le mappe (The traveler among the maps) was held at the Museum of Geography on the 4th of Decemeber 2021 to celebrate the book launch of the L’incanto del viaggiatore: Diari (1957-1967) e ricordi di un emigrante (Il Poligrafo 2020) by Armando Morbiato. This was the occasion to discuss a series of topics related to mobility, like the circulation of objects, people, texts, and ideas through the trade of old atlases, maps, and guide books collected by Morbiato during his travels around the globe as an Italian migrant and merchant, but also to thank him and celebrate his generous donation to the Museum. The event was, indeed, the opportunity to realise a temporary exhibition titledTraveling maps at Palazzo Wollemborg (Sala della Musica) and to expose part of the precious objects that Morbiato donated to the Museum choosing from his private collection. The exhibition, which is going to turn into a permanent online exhibition, displayed 9 objects, among which maps and books, the oldest dating back to 1493.

Moving Knowledge/Mobility Expo is a Third Mission project coordinated by the Museum of Geography and sustained by an interdisciplinary board of members of the MoHuCentre. The project’s main goal is to circulate among a wider both academics and non-specialistic audience the reflections emerged through the interdisciplinary researches on mobility issues conducted at the DiSSGeA, within the Project of Excellence Mobility & Humanities and other projects, like Bo2022 and Padova Mobile UniverCity. Starting from the topicality of mobility issues in contemporary research and society, the project presents the Museum of Geography as a cultural hub and place of encounter between the University and the City, and promotes the dissemination of academic research through a strong dialogue between art and science, organising exhibitions, workshops, and events both online and in person.

Members: Giada Peterle (Scientific Coordinator), Elena Canadelli, Giovanni Donadelli, Francesco Ferrarese, Chiara Gallanti, Francesco Lubian, Federico Mazzini, Marco Orlandi, Chiara Rabbiosi, Tania Rossetto, Mauro Varotto