THE  IDEA  

A  CHILD  WITH  A  SUITCASE  AND  HIS  

THIRST  OF  KNOWLEDGE  

PHILOSOPHY  OF  DISCOVERING  AND  THE  INTEGRATED  KNOWLEDGE  

THE  EMOTIONAL  GEOGRAPHY  

My  aunt  Diana  has  kept  telling  me  for  years  that  she  was  looking  for  a  picture  of  me,  when  I  was  3,  smiling,  with  a  suitcase  in  my  

hand.  “In  that  picture  –  she  said  –  there  is  your  soul”  

Why  did  I  travel  so  much?  Why  do  I  sFll  want  to  travel?  What  are  the  k-­‐passages  of  an  existence?  What  does  it  mean  “knowing”  the  world?  Is  it  possible  to  connect  different  knowledges?  What  is  life?  

Is  there  something  before  and  aKer  our  phisycal  life?  

How  could  we  represent  a  life,  done  by  a  lot  of  elements?  Is  maybe  life  a  sort  of  journey  through  the  emoFonal  geography  searching  

for  the  soul  of  the  World  and  our  own  soul?      

A  MAP,  A  LIFE  

13  September  2015-­‐  16  October  2015  THE  DRAWING  OF  THE  MAP    OF  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  

A  PARADIGMATIC  STRUCTURE  INVITING  TO  AN  EXISTENCIAL  JOURNEY,  A  MATRIX  

IN  WHICH  TO  INTEGRATE  PERSONAL  

EXPERIENCES  

THE  MAP  IS  SPLITTED  INTO  6  REGIONS  THE   FIRST   REGION   IS   A   REMOTE   TERRITORY   GOING   FROM   THE   CANYON   OF  GENESIS  TO  THE  GLACIER  OF  ORIGINS  (MOTHER  EARTH  LAND).  FROM  HERE  –  AT  THE  END  OF  THE   ICE  AGE  –  THE  RIVER  OF  MOTHER  RISES  AND  THEN   IT  MEETS  THE   RIVER  OF   FATHER.   THEY   FLOW  ALONG   THE   RANGE  OF   ROOTS   (RANGE  OF  ROOTS)  AND  GIVE  BIRTH  TO  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE.  THIS  RIVER  FLOWS  ALONG  THE  VALLEY  OF  EXISTENCE  AND  ITS  ENTIRELY  COASTED  BY  THE  RANGE  OF  EMOTIONS  (RANGE  OF  EMOTIONS)  AMONG  WHOSE  PEAKS  WE  FIND  THE  LAKE  OF  THE  LOST  DREAM  AND  THE  LAKE  OF  THE  STOLEN  DREAMS.  THE  FIRST  PART  OF  THE  RIVER  CORRESPONDS   TO   OUR   PHYSICAL   LIFE   (THE   RIVER   OF   LIFE),   AND   ITS  WATERS,  EVER   CHANGING,   ARE   OUR   EXPERIENCES.   THE   RIVER   SPLITS   THEN   INTO   TWO  BIGHTS:  THE  BIGHT  OF  RESPET  AND  THE  ONE  OF   INJUSTICE.   THE  HUGE   ISLAND  BETWEEN   THESE   BIGHTS   IS   CALLED   THE   ISLAND   OF   SHADOWS   AND   LIGHTS,  WHERE  MOST   OF   HUMANITY   LIVES.   THE   SECOND   PART   OF   THE   RIVER   STARTS  FROM  THE  PLACE  WHERE  WE  ARE  NOW  (PHILOSOPHY  PEAK)  AND  IT  REPRESENTS  OUR  DREAMS  ABOUT  OUR  FUTURE  AND  ABOUT  OUR  IDEAL  EARTH.  THE  SEA  OF  FREEDOM   (SEA   OF   FREEDOM)   IS   THE   6th   REGION   WHERE   THE   RIVER   OF   LIFE  ENDS   UP   AND   WHERE   IT   IS   POSSIBLE   TO   CLOSE   THE   CIRCLES.   IS   THERE  SOMETHING  BEYOND  THE  CLOUDS?  

WHAT  IS  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE?  

THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE    IS    

a  psycho-­‐philosophical    Journey  

through  the  emoFonal  geographies  

of  the  Valley  of  Existence  

A  Journey…  The  River  of  Life  is  an  

(un)real  iFnerary    

in  which  the  traveller  is  conPnuously  swinging  from  an  EXTERNAL  dimension,  phisical  and  connected  to  the  flowing  of  Pme  to  an  INNER  one,    dreamlike,  spaceless  and  Pmeless  

…psychological…  

   The  River  of  Life    is  

a  paradigm  of  an  Existencial  journey,      A  sort  of  self-­‐analyFcal  archetype   into  which  we  should  let  our  emoPons  and  life  experiences  flow.  Through  MEMORY   we   re-­‐connect   our   past   to   (real   or   unreal)  places.    Through   IMAGINATION   we   ri-­‐orientate   our   emoPons,   both  generally  speaking  and  with  regards  to  places,  and  we  do  begin  the  adventure  into  the  potenFal  becoming  

…philosophical…  

The  River  of  Life  is    

Philosophy      If  we  do  believe  that  this  science  can  be  considered  as  a  master  of  life,  as  a  discipline  sPmulaPng  dialogue  and  connecFng  knowledges.    It  is  a  philosophical  journey  because  we  do  ask  ourselves  –  during  the  trip  –  about  the  K-­‐THEMES  OF  A  LIFE:  what  was  the  World  like  before  man  appeared  on  it,  the  birth  of  man,  the  roots,  the  emoPons,  the  joy  and  the  pain,  the  discovery,  the  experience,  the  free  will,  the  awareness,  the  good  and  the  evil,  the  dreams  and  the  existence  beyond  the  clouds.  

…through  emoFonal  geographies…  The  River  of  Life  is    

EmoFonal  Geography    A  BI-­‐DIRECTIONAL  science    InvesPgaPng  about  the  SOUL  OF  PLACES  from  one  side,  through  an  emoPonal  and  synesthePc    approach  to  places,  and  on  the  other  side,  allowing  us  to  E-­‐MOVERE,  to  put  out  our  own  emoPons  by  giving  this  way  a  form  to  our  inner  landscapes.  This  external  projecPon  has  a  catharPc  and  therapeuPcal  impact  and   can   be   represented   in   different   ways:   emoPonal  carthography,   textes,   photographs,   imagines,   painPngs,   music  etc.      

…of  the  Valley  of  Existence.  The  River  of  Life  flows  through  the  

Valley  of  Existence    Since  when,  in  the  Canyon  of  Genesis,  its  waters  separated  from  Earth  unPl  when  they  melt  into  the  Sea  of  Freedom.  In  this  huge  Valley  the  emoFonal  geographies  overlap  the  real  georaphies  feeding  this  way  the  main  stream  of  the  River  of  Life  which,   at   its   Pme,   gets   the  waters   of   other   rivers   represenPng  other   sources   of   knowledge   and   experience:   from   psychology,  to  philosophy,  from  arts  to  history,  from  ecology  to  economy.  If  we  swim  into  this  big  mulPdisciplinary  river  we  will  get  closer  to  integrated  knowledge  of  the  World  and  of  ourselves  as  well.  This   huge   Valley   is   wrapped   by   many   emoFonal   circles  represenPng   the   energy   of   Universe   and   allowing   the   River   to  flow.  

THE  PROTAGONISTS    OF  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  

From  paradigm  to  personal  experience    

Everyone  is  the  chief  protagonist  of  his/her  River  of  Life  and  he/she  can  become  a  Geographer  of  

EmoPons.  This   project   is   an   invitaPon   to   experience   the   e-­‐moFon,   by   transposing   your   inner   landscape   into  the  paradigmaPc  map  of  The  River  of  Life.    

This  is  at  least  what  I  have  been  doing:  once  realized  the  map,  a  sort  of  archetypical  iFnerary  I  have  started  to  fill  in  with  my  own  history  whose  

main  characters  are  Marco  e  Lorenzo.  

MARCO  E  LORENZO  Marco  Marcolino  Bertagni  is  the  child  with  the  suitcase  searching  for  the  soul  of  the  World  and  his  own  soul.    Lorenzo  Lore  Guarnieri  is  the  child  whose  Ball  was  stolen  and  –  from  beyond   the   clouds   –   he   is   encouraging   people   to   fight   against  injusPce  and  for  a  world  where  dreams  won’t  be  broken  anymore.  They  are  the  main  characters  of  The  River  of  Life.  And   together  with   them  all   the   humanity   is   protagonist,     going   up  and  down  the  Valley  of  Existence.  

GEOGRAPHER  OF  EMOTIONS  

Searching  for  GENIUS  LOCI  &  ANIMA  HOMINIS  

Living  the  World  EMOTIONALLY  and  projecFng  on  it  his  

INNER  LANDSCAPES  in  a  bi-­‐recFonal  and  catharFc  process.  

IntegraFng  KNOWLEDGES  

Travelling  SYNAESTETHICALLY  

Aiming  to  know  the  WORLD  and  his  

place  in  it  

MARCO  dreams  about  becoming  a  GEOGRAPHER  of  EMOTIONS  

LORENZO  dreams  about  drying  –  with  the  fire  of  his  love  –  the  waters  of  the  Lake  of  the  Stolen  

Dreams.    He  dreams  about  a  fair  World,  in  which  there  is  

Respect  for  Life.  He  dreams  about  Stefano,  Stefania,  ValenPna  and  all  people  loving  him,  to  understand  that,  from  beyond  the  clouds,  he  is  here  with  us.    

We  can’t  see  him  but  through  all  other  senses  we  know  that  Lorenzo  is  here.    And  he’s  changing  the  World.    

HOW  THE  STORY  OF  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  IS  TOLD  OR  MIGHT  BE  TOLD  

The    map  of  The  River  of  Life  is  the  source  on  which  other  narraPve  traces  have  been  

integrated  

EMOTIONAL  MAP  

TEXTS  

IMAGES  

PHOTOGRAPHS  

MUSIC  

REAL  GEOGRAPHIES  

THE   STORY   IS   BASED  ON   INTEGRATION   AND  HARMONISATION   OF   DIFFERENT  NARRATIVE  FORMS    We  could,  anyway,  “listen  to”  it  also  in  a  de-­‐structured  form    by  following  for  example  just  a  single  trace  (texts,  charts,  photographs,  or  images)  and/or  through  the  interpretaPon  of  single  parts  (for  example  a  photograph,  a  sentence  etc).  Once  we  know  “the  place”  of   the  single  part   in   the  overall  drawing  that  very  single  part  may  assume  to  our  eyes  and  minds  a  totally  different  and  deeper  meaning  compared  to  the  previous  ones.  The   story   is   circular   and   so   –   even   if   we   do   suggest   starPng   it   from   the  Canyon  of  Genesis  –   it   is  possible  to  begin  the  journey  in  any  point  of  the  Map.  And  then  to  close  the  circle  in  the  same  point.  Similarly,   we   can   travel   following   the   flow   of   the   history,   like   on   a   real  river,  from  sources  to  mouth  or  from  mouth  to  sources.    

NarraPve  forms  

I  am  Marco.    I  have  always  been  him.  And  I  think  I  will  always  be.  A  small  seed  of  man  carried  by  the  wind,that  flies  over  a  virgin  land  devoid  of  humanity.  I  perceive  primordial  lights.  Forceful  rivers  gush  from  ageless  chasms,    a  moPonless  extension  of  deserts  offer  hallucinated  forms.  A  seed  of  me,  alone,  in  all  this  vastness    immersed  in  senseless  colors  and  rocked  by  a  gentle  breeze.  Suddenly  the  serenity  of  the  place  is  broken:  Mors  tua  vita  mea,  where  the  evidence  of  life  surrenders  to  death.  A  cold  shiver  throws  me  into  the  night  of  Pmes.  The  eternal  dawn  comes  to  free  me.  I  am  sheltered  in  a  cave.  Painted  hands  on  the  walls  I  am  a  small  seed  at  the  edge  of  humanity.  

NarraPve  forms  

CANYON  OF  GENESIS  -­‐    Genesis   1  

NarraPve  forms  

AWAY  FROM  PHILOSOPHY  PEAK  –  I  am  here,  now   112  

NarraPve  forms  

Kashashian,  The  River/Garbarek,  Red  Wind/Vivaldi,  Estro  Armonico/Orff,  Carmina  Burana/Vangelis,  AntarcPca/Einaudi,  Una  mahna  

 Kashashian,  Woman's  Theme/Alphaville,  Forever  young/BahsP,  Una  giornata  uggiosa/Eahles,  Hotel  Cakifornia/De  Gregori,  Pezzi  di  vetro/Springsteen,  The  River/Bombino,  Iyat  Idounia  Ayasahen/Everything  but  the  girl,  When  all's  well/Ferro,  Lo  stadio/Rush,  Free  will/Sinatra,  My  way/Bowie,  Heroes/Morelenbaum,  Central  do  Brazil/Bregovic,  Kalashjinikov/Men  at  work,  Down  under/Cher,  You  haven't  seen  the  last  of  me/Sastri,  Guardo  il  cielo  e  son  felice/Franklin,  Respect/Queen,  Bohemians  rapsody/Springsteen,  Racing  in  the  street/Zero,  Manichini  

Einaudi,  I  due  fiumi/Loos-­‐Catoul,  Vaporeko/Conte,  Wanda/Peppino  di  Capri,  Champagne/BerP,  Io  P  darò  di  più/  Tiersen,  La  Valse/Finardi,  Mio  cucciolo  d'uomo/BahsP,  Si  Viaggiare  

Arakne  mediterranea,  Pizzica  Mediterranea/Bahato,  E  P  vengo  a  cercare/Bahato,  Centro  di  gravità  permanente/Bahato,  Voglio  vederP  danzare/Brahms,  Danze  Ungheresi/Camerata  Portena,  Vuelvo  al  Sur/Madredeus,  Ao  longe  o  mar/Waits,  Innocent  when  you  dream/Moriseke,  Utopia/Amalia  Rodrigues,  Uma  casa  portuguesa  

Paoli,  AverP  adosso/BahsP,  Emozioni/Eno,  By  This  river/The  last  goodnight,  Picture  of  you/Springsteen,  Point  blank/Waits,  Blue  ValenPne/Antonacci,  Sognami  

Madredeus,  Coisas  pequenas/Albinoni,  Adagio  in  G  minor/Cesaria  Evora,  Sodade/  Simply  red,  Holding  back  the  years/Wonder,  PasPme  paradise/Carreras,  En  aranjuez  con  tu  amor/Nannini,  Tornerai/Dalla,  Là/Mariza,  Rio  da  Màgoa/Madredeus,  O  Paraìso  

NarraPve  forms  

Canyon della genesi Orrido di Botri Deserti dell’immaginazione Vetricia

Valle dei colori Parco naturale dell’Orecchiella Altopiano Mors tua vita mea Pania di Corfino

Ghiacciai delle origini Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Grotta dell’umanità Sillano

Catena delle Radici Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Fiume della Madre Fiume Adige

Fiume del Padre Fiume Serchio (Sorgenti) Fonti del Fiume della Vita Fiume Serchio (Tanaborda)

Catena delle Emozioni Alpi Apuane Lago dei Sogni Perduti Lago di Isola Santa Lago dei Sogni Rubati Lago di Vagli

Valle dell’Esistenza Garfagnana Acque della fanciullezza Fiume Serchio tra Tanaborda e Castelnuovo

Bozzi della Scoperta Bozzi della Scoperta Diga delle Responsabilità Diga di Castelnuovo

Gola della Prevenzione Fiume Serchio presso Palleroso Isolotto del Libero Arbitrio Fiume Serchio presso Castelvecchio Pascoli

Isola delle luci e delle ombre Fiume Serchio presso Gallicano Ansa dell’Ingiustizia Torrente Turrite, Fornovolasco, Antro del Corchia

Ansa del Rispetto Fiume Serchio tra Gallicano e Borgo a Mozzano Ponte della Consapevolezza Fiume Serchio, Ponte del Diavolo

Picco della Filosofia Eremo di Calomini Cascate dei Limiti Fiume Serchio tra Borgo a Mozzano e Ponte a Moriano

Utopia Lucca Lago dell’indifferenza Lago di Massaciuccoli Piana del Genius Loci San Martino in Freddana

Acque dell’Armonia Fiume Serchio tra Ponte a Moriano e Torre del Lago Puccini Lagune della Pace Pontasserchio

Faro della Saggezza Faro di Anzio Isola delle Prospettive Mare antistante la Riviera Zanardelli, Anzio

Mare della Libertà Mare di Anzio Promontorio dell’alba infinita Promontorio del Circeo

!

NarraPve  forms  

APPLICATIONS  AND  REPRESENTATIONS  OF    THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  

THE  APPLICATIONS  OF  THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  • Story  Map  (April  2016)  • Photo-­‐book  “The  River  of  Life”  (May  2016)  •  InteracFve  and  mulF-­‐medial  exhibiFon  (June  2016)  • Psychological  Therapy  (Feb  to  Nov  2016)  • A  Par$tone  for  Lorenzo  (September  2016)  • The  Philosophical  Journey  (September  2016)  • Book:  “How  to  become  a  Geographer  of  EmoFons”  (October  2016)  

• Theatre  Performance  (December  2016)  • Movie  (2017)  • Lobbying  For  Life  (2017)  • APP  (2017)  • Team  Game  (2017)  

THE  VIDEO-­‐PRESENTATION  OF    THE  RIVER  OF  LIFE  

1-­‐  EARTH-­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isaAsXsUR6g    2  -­‐  ROOTS  -­‐-­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crXtyAI2Yw  3  -­‐  EMOTIONS  -­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA5t6N-­‐fNtc  4  -­‐  LIFE  -­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MBOiR_A7kI  5  -­‐  PHILOSOPHY  1-­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0oLlYm_Hbw  6  -­‐  PHILOSOPHY  2  -­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGVCs3M9OsY  7  -­‐  FREEDOM  1-­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peM3MnTzyo  8  -­‐  FREEDOM  2  -­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZZIcFNdiP8  9  -­‐  FREEDOM  3  -­‐  hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62n6D_5hbmY  

www.theriveroflife.it    FULLY  ONLINE    

ON  MARCH  26th  2016  

THANKS  FOR  LISTENING    AND….    

BON  VOYAGE!