AR:
In ten years, do you think that there will be an increase, a decrease or the same overall amount of public funding means for the arts in Italy?

SI:
Decrease.

AR:
Which effects and consequences can you imagine regarding this situation?

SI:
Many people will stop pretending to be Artists, and get a regular job before they turn 30.

Note on Italy: people tend to depend on their parents up until … let’s say 30 years old. They tend to finish university at around 30, and only a small percentage of them can handle their lives themselves. Everyone
would like to be a musician, some other form of artist, a famous TV personality or, recently, a politician. In a few words: everyone wants to be elite, to avoid “real” jobs and, possibly, to be rich, famous and corruptable. A very “latin” way of life.
Politicians themselves don’t help in this situation. Italy used to have one of the more theoretically advanced welfare and labour system in the world: a really positive effect deriving from the influences that Russian communism have had in Italy in the past. But theory, in conjunction with political corruption and politicians’ ambition have created an enormous public debt, causing, in recent times, governmental manouvers that are making life in Italy practically impossible. Incredible taxing, high real estate costs, low wages, worse schools, bad health care. In 20th century society Italy’s young generations learned to rely on their families, as the nation’s money was not used to help them. In this perspective, families were a substitute for the state: you
need to buy a home or to start a commercial activity? Ask you family for money. Now families just cannot help, as many of them get indebted just to pay their rent. Society is breaking up: either you’re really rich or
you are practically poor. It’s starting to resemble South America.
Rising public debt (and the fake solutions to these problems, such as central banks emitting “unreal” money, only achieving higher inflation) will produce less investments on any area, including art.
Either business models are quickly found for new media or only painters loved by critics and collectors will survive.

AR:
In ten years, do you think that there will be an increase of private sponsorship for the arts in Italy?

SI:
Yes.

AR:
Which effects and consequences can you imagine regarding this situation?

SI:
I imagine that, having to deal with private sponsors, artists will have to develop either a higher level of technique or a higher level of smart-talking techniques.

AR:
Which kind of job/s are you holding?

SI:
(see below)
I do lots of stuff, from security systems design for telcos, to expert system development for financial firms, to game design for mobile phones, to communication campaigns development, to advertising, to selling drugs, to playing music at rave parties.

AR:
What is your contract for this/these jobs?

SI:
Freelance.

AR:
Do you live from your art production as main occupation?

SI:
Yes.

(Note: acquiring the money to perform the actual art is an artistic process itself. I don’t have a 9to5 job, i need to figure out ways to get money: this is a really creative process. So i guess i am constantly producing art)

AR:
Do you need other income than that coming from your art production to make a living?

SI:
No.

(see above)

AR:
On which basis do cooperations work for you in regard to content production and financial settings? Which forms of budget and work sharing do apply?

SI:
When i intentionally and explicitly create work with some other people, it always depends on the situation: i’ve had occasions in which i never even met the people, and we just planned and delivered, and i have had times where we slept together for months, bringing the work along 24h a day, 7 days a week.
Financial issues are almost always the same: we have the idea, we start materializing it, then we run out of money and we need to figure out something.
Festivals and “events” never accounted to much: places like Netmage in Italy, Transmediale in Germany, Ars Electronica in Austria and all the others conduct a discourse that never gets out of the loop of people
that are already involved with them. Just look at the Documenta project itself: i haven’t seen one (1!) new person that was let in since it started! They are always the same people, talking among themselves.
I always had more luck with private enterpreneurs: you plan something which is useful for them (maybe for an event, or for a commercial, or for their website, or for their CEO’s office…) and you eventually get some money to do it. If you ask for little more, you might be able to save something for the project you started with.
How do you sell new media art? you sell something else!

People should really figure out they constantly are part of networks. Of perception, of sensibility, of knowledge, of technique, of relationship. My collective is made up of everyone I ever got in touch with: in real
life, in virtual life, in metaphysical life, by crossing eyes on the bus, in professional life …
Everyone gave me something I constantly use in everything I do: be it technology, technique or just plain perception or, maybe, a memory or image.
My role to them is quite the same.

AR:
Which function/s would you ascribe to yourself as an artist in the society you live in?

SI:
I don’t really want anything from society. I would like to be able to explore stuff without the hassle of paying my rent. I am not answering these questions to be quoted or to “become famous”: I am answering them because I thought they were cute and naive. I really would not feel like ascribing anything to myself. I just need to investigate on things and to express myself.

I would define [my tasks as an artist] … as one: manage to having the least amount of sleep possible without dying. I have so many things to do. So many things I want to see.

Art has a great value. It is a free expression. Of nothing specific, but free.
Artists explore themselves, society, technology, the environment. Art innovates, creates idols and fears.
They have a very big potential power. But i think that art is strongest when it doesn’t intentionally use it.
Artists that act with activism in mind, with politics, with education and culture are admirable, but the fact that we “need” to identify them with someone “with culture” makes us loose focus. As an example, Picasso was an incredible communicator and a really sensible person: his value is not in his political expressions (such as Guernica), but in the incredible way in which he explored so many art forms, estblishing landmarks on each one of them, evolving concepts and creating totally new ones. Artists should feel free and compelled to explore and suggest.

SI:
Artists explore. In a way. Artists leverage, on the other.
They act as a magnifier for “rising” concepts in society, for forming memes.
At the same time, they stimulate the creation of new ones.
This is a full time profession, that can only be done for vocation.

AR:
Would you please describe more closely what you mean by using the term “vocation”?

SI:
Vocation: in a sense that is really close to “sensibility”.