By Micol Roubini
Edited by Gabi Scardi
NERO Editions, Rome, 2024
The book La Montagna magica by Micol Roubini is the publication of the project realized for the 11th edition of the Italian Council.
Gathering a variety of documents, La montagna magica outlines the history of asbestos, a mineral considered miraculous since ancient times and a part of everyday life in the last century, now recognized as lethal, yet still in use in many countries around the world.
Not far from Turin, in the towns of Corio and Balangero and in the adjacent disused asbestos quarry—once the largest in Europe—a state of suspension prevails. Here, where the traces of mining are still visible, we also witness the—spontaneous and assisted—re-emergence of various plant and animal species.
Micol Roubini draws on the memories and dreams of the local inhabitants to narrate the post-industrial development of the area and the intricate web of relationships that permeate it.
The book includes original contributions by Giovanni Aloi, Francesco Carnevale, Elke Krasny, Gabi Scardi, Riccardo Venturi, Fabrizio Zandonatti.
Produced with the support of Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea del Ministero della Cultura Italiano within the programme Italian Council (11th edition, 2022), with the contribution of Nctm e l’arte and Altauro Film.
The project brought together as cultural partners: Talbot Rice Gallery, Edimburgh; Parco Arte Vivente, Turin; Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Rijeka; Fundación Cerezales, Leon; Akademie der bildenden Künste, Wien. The four-channel video installation has been acquired by MAN Museum, Nuoro.
The book is published by NERO Editions.
