La Festa Dell'Equatore — Lacavalla Rosa

La Festa dell’Equatore is a symbolic crossing that weaves together the celestial shift of the stars, the fragmented history of the artist’s Italo-Argentine family, and the therapeutic practice of family constellations to unfold a timeless dialogue between personal memory and the collective journey of migration.

An attempt to mend a piece of sky unfurling over an ocean of memories, the work is an initiatory journey. The title pays homage to a poignant rite of passage once held aboard steamships transporting migrants to South America. Crossing the Equator was a celebratory moment marking the approach of a new life, yet it was often followed by a profound silence, accompanied by eyes filled with tears and a mixture of hope and nostalgia.

That invisible line splitting our planet in two serves as the symbolic meeting point where these different paths intersect. Within this space, the narration unfolds through three deeply interconnected layers that mirror the migrant’s own disorientation and discovery.

It begins with the celestial, observing how the vault of heaven shifts as one crosses the line, with stars appearing in patterns unfamiliar to the other hemisphere. This shift finds its grounded counterpart in the familial lineage of the artist’s husband’s family, a journey through fragmented memories and recovered legacies. Finally, these stories are brought into a psychological dimension through family constellations, a method that reveals how transgenerational patterns are etched into our lives – much like stars in the night sky – linking our ancestors’ past to our present.

Here, memory and myth merge with reality, projecting us toward a future yet to be written while stars sing from the deep blue of eternity to the soul of the Ocean.

The Crossing Ceremony is a single-channel video installation that binds found footage of the Equator line-crossing rituals – both vintage and contemporary – with evocative imagery of "moving stars." The work invites viewers to embark on a voyage alongside King Neptune, the revered guardian of the oceans, as he prepares for the crossing of the Equator Line. As the narrative shifts into an introspective second act, it metaphorically depicts the challenges of the journey and the profound symbolism of traversing an invisible threshold, forever intertwined with the shifting patterns of the night sky.

7’’02’, Color, Sound
Voice-over: English
Subtitles: English (available also in Italian or Spanish)
Music: Hernán Paulitti

Excerpt from The Crossing Ceremony, 2025

Installation view of Unire / Bridging at Palazzo dei Musei, Reggio Emilia (IT)

Unire / Bridging
Group show, April 2025

GFI - Giovane Fotografia Italiana #12, Palazzo dei Musei, Reggio Emilia (IT), within Fotografia Europea
Curated by Ilaria Campioli and Daniele De Luigi

La Festa dell’Equatore
Solo show, May 2025

Getxophoto,
Romo Kultur Etxea (RKE), Getxo,
Basque Country (ES)
Curated by María Ptqk

Installation view from La Festa dell’Equatore at BCC Appulo Lucana

La Festa dell’Equatore
Solo show, June 2026

BCC Appulo Lucana,
Barletta (IT)

A fragment of the work has been exhibited as part of the initiative Futuri Emergenti Italiani, promoted by the BCC Iccrea Group.

Combat Prize 2026
Group show, July 2026

Combat Prize – 17th Edition, Museo della Città, Livorno (IT)

Adopting a transmedia narrative format, the work combines photography, video, audio recordings, found footage, and archival materials.

A selection of it is contained within a website, offering a contemporary and imaginative view on the journey of people and stars migration, while overlapping historical materials and references.

Using a narrative that distinguishes between reality and dream, the website offers an engaging experience to users, allowing them to explore these themes freely and intuitively.

Within each section, they will find a wide range of multimedia content, including documents, audio recordings, an interactive map, texts, and videos arranged in a non-linear manner to stimulate exploration and discovery.

A key element is represented by crossing the equator line, symbolizing the passage between different hemispheres, both physically and metaphorically.

Website still under construction.