Conservano is a town in the Puglia region of Italy where there was once a large, high, blank, curved wall. The wall exists because of the hilly geography of the region. On top of the hill is a busy street with many bus stops; at the bottom is a large parking lot.
In the spring of 2022, a project was launched, “A Talk with the City” to paint the wall. Public artist, Eltono, painted the top part in colorful geometric shapes and the bottom part in large arches that reflect the many architectural arches seen in this city. The “inside” of each arch was left white so that other artists could add their contributions. A description of this process is on Eltono’s website.
below: Two night time images. A yellow crescent moon and a painting by Davide Curci of the Earth being held in someone’s hand.
below: Fire and water, or fire and ice, on either side of a very large green eye.
below: On a pole in front of the wall, a cute little drawing of a snail and a poem in Italian. Non Credo Nell’Amor (I don’t believe in love). Transcription of the poem is given below .
di guardare sempre tutto
i tuoi occhi devono essere ovunque.
Sarai sguardo di coccinella
di mosca
di virus.
Non perderti in chiacchiere
e annota tutto, figlio mio
userai cio che hai visto
contro di me.
A very rough translation:
and please remember
to always look at everything
your eyes must be everywhere.
You will be ladybug-eyed
of flies
of viruses.
Don’t waste time talking
and write everything down, my son
you will use what you saw
against me.
Photos taken February 2024
Eyes on the Streets 