PAOLO LOLICATA
FIRECULT
FOCU 'RANNI
PALERMO
FIRECULT (Wildfire Resilient Cultural Heritage) is an international collaborative research project funded by the Belmont Forum and delivered by Imperial College London, Newcastle University and The Maltings (Berwick) Trust.
In collaboration with University College Dublin, Izmir Institute of Technology, University of Florence, University of Aberystwyth and University of Boston.
The research included 3 case studies where an artistic research was conducted. Dublin, Izmir and Palermo, where I was appointed as the artist to develope the research project Focu 'Ranni.
Focu 'ranni (big fire) is a Sicilian sayings used to indicate a situation that is really complicated and difficult to untangle.
Focu ‘Ranni is the artistic research project led by Paolo Lolicata for FIRECULT in Palermo, Sicily.
Fire is a defining element in humanity's symbolic and cultural identity. As a symbol of regeneration, purification, origin, mediation between the earthly and celestial, fertility, and divinity, the knowledge and domestication of fire have shaped humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Fire has influenced the development of civilization both in practical terms and as a vital element in the magical-religious realms of various cultures, playing a crucial role in folkloric manifestations and the formation of cultural identity.
Considering the intricate complexity of Sicilian culture, shaped by successive cultural occupations that have given rise to new meanings and reinterpretations of social life, heritage, and spiritual identities, it is fascinating to explore how fire and its rituals have evolved over time. Is fire a symbol of trauma, recalling invasions and destruction? Or is it a force of regeneration, rising from the ashes of heritage? Sicily's most iconic natural symbol, Mount Etna, holds particular significance in this context. As a volcano, Etna serves as a giant fireholder, symbolizing the centrality of fire to the island's identity and landscape.
This research focuses on the folkloric elements related to fire and its connection to the spiritual-religious realm of Sicily. Over time, as modernity has encroached on rural life, many of these traditional practices have begun to fade.
Focu’Ranni explores how the detachment and de-indigenization of the Sicilian population have contributed to the loss of control over fire, an element deeply ingrained in the territory's culture. It will also examine the intersection of traditions, policies, and spirituality related to fire, analyzing how its role has evolved and how it might be reintegrated into contemporary practices in a safe, sustainable, and culturally meaningful way, including the role of art in this process.
