Gibellina (TP), which developed in the 17th century in a baronial feudal territory, was entirely destroyed by the 1968 earthquake and rebuilt twenty-odd kilometres further down the valley. In the years of rebuilding, the place became a focus of attention for internationally renowned artists like Arnaldo Pomodoro and Pietro Consagra who transformed it into an open-air contemporary art site.
In memory of the tragedy and its victims, the ruined buildings were transformed into artwork by Alberto Burri who covered them with a pouring of white cement leaving the urban layout unchanged. The blocks were actually made by accumulating and enclosing the rubble of the actual buildings.
On the fallen side of the mountain, the Grande Cretto is an irregular quadrilateral measuring approx. 300 x 400 m. From above the work looks like multiple fractures of cement on the ground which have symbolically frozen the historic memory of the village. Each fissure is 2-3 m wide while the blocks are about 1.6 m high. Given its south/south easterly position and vast proportions (it is one of the most extensive contemporary artworks in the world) it can be seen from far away by those coming from other places in the valley of Belice. About 350 m from the work, the remains of Gibellina can also be seen.
Sicilia Film Commission
Via Emanuele Notarbartolo 9 — 90141 Palermo
Phone: +39 091 7078008; +39 091 7078264; +39 091 7078133; +39 091 7078145
Email: filmcommission@regione.sicilia.it
