This year’s conference of California Interdisciplinary Consortium for Italian Studies was hosted by University of California Davis and dedicated to the theme of Italian Experiments.
“Italian experiments have produced countless innovations in art, literature, design, architecture, science, politics, and more. The very nation/notion of Italy has constituted a kind of experiment at various points throughout history. In 2021, we are 100 years removed from the raucous premiere of Luigi Pirandello’s infamously experimental Sei personaggi, and we commemorate 700 years since the death of Dante, an author whose experiment in terza rimalikewise became a staple of the Italian canon. Drawing inspiration from these bold experimenters, we aim to look at Italian experimentation in its many disciplines, media, genres, and forms. Not only within Italy but also across the Mediterranean and world, Italian innovation has made for an experiment with global impact” (homepage).
Dr. Federico Pacchioni gave a talk entitled: “An Unbearable Guest: The Italian Puppet on the International Silver Screen” focusing on the experiments that Italian puppeteers attempted during the first part of the twentieth century, and the challenges they encountered in integrating their techniques and traditions within the body of the new medium of cinema, both nationally and internationally. The talk elaborated research published in Dr. Pacchioni’s recent book The Image of the Puppet. Essays across Theater, Film and Literature.
