Lux cordis (2024), Rome Art Week 2024, Adriano Segarelli Studio, Rome IT

The collective Lux Mentis invited me to present a performance during Rome Art Week 2024, centred on the theme of light. I chose to interpret light in a figurative sense - as the joy that guides us through the turbulent and mysterious seas of our lives. Regardless of the challenges and hardships we encounter daily, we retain the ability to reconnect with deep emotions of happiness and joy from our past by retrieving the memories associated with them.

The performance unfolded in two segments. In the first, I invited Adriano to draw my silhouette on the large studio window. I then breathed into small plastic bags until they were filled with my breath, sealing them with ties and attaching them to the glass where my head and heart were drawn. Eventually, I placed a white puzzle piece inside one of these bags, closed my eyes, breathed into it once more, sealed and attached it to the glass.

In the second segment, I offered each participant a small plastic bag containing a white puzzle piece. I then guided those who accepted the bag through an experiment inspired by the Quick Coherence Technique®, developed by HeartMath®.

I invited participants to recall a memory associated with a profound feeling of happiness, then to breathe into the bag while mentally visualising the memory’s scene with their eyes closed, imprinting the memory and the positive emotion onto the puzzle piece through their breath. Upon concluding the exercise, we carefully sealed the bags, holding the breath inside. What remains is a tangible reminder of the memory, one we can more easily access during difficult moments, creating a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

This exercise fosters a state of heart coherence, which positively impacts both body and mind, helping us navigate life’s challenges with greater resilience.

Photo Daniele Ottavi