Art at Bocconi Is Called Bocconi Arts Campus
Classical, rock, jazz, blues and even folk and choral arrangements. Not to mention theater of all kinds, musicals, cinema and live performances on and off campus. As well as exhibits on contemporary art, photography, installations and meetings with artists and representatives of the art market, with a particular focus on publishing. A universe of artistic expressions make up the Bocconi Arts Campus (BAC) project and share one message: Bocconi University does not just speak the language of economics and law, but also the language of culture and art.
"Bocconi Arts Campus aims to bring the Bocconi community closer to the arts and cultural life in the city," explains the President of BAC, Paola Dubini. "On one hand, it provides the opportunity to put yourself to the test with on campus shows and productions; on the other, it develops awareness of and attention to the arts, creating training grounds for management and entrepreneurial skills in these areas." Bocconi Arts Campus is a catalyst for artistic perception. It also includes activities put on by the various student associations at Bocconi dedicated to the arts, such as the literature association Bocconi d'Inchiostro, the Bocconi Student Music Association and Bocconi Students for Arts and Cultural Strategies.
All this occurs in two places. One is virtual: a Facebook group that numbers more than 1,000 members. The group is open not only to members of the Bocconi community, but to anyone interested in various forms of art and acts as a place for discussion and debate of ideas and projects (www.facebook.com/groups/1645970935661353). There is also a physical space, called Open Side, which opened about a year ago.
It is here, behind the large windows at Via Roentgen 1, that three topics will be focused on over the upcoming months. The first will be relations with cultural institutions, with the event 'Book Publishing Trends' scheduled for 15 March at 10:30am. It will be dedicated to changes in publishing, welcoming Marco Ferrario (Book Republic & The Content Agency) and Nicola Cavalli (Ledizioni). In the same vein of relations with cultural institutions urban regeneration experiences in Milan, such as Cascina Cuccagna, will be compared in late April.
Another area, dedicated to relations between the arts and education, in 2015 engaged artists, curators and representatives of the world of contemporary art. This year, a creative laboratory is scheduled for 11-16 April, during which artists will use their relationship with their teachers as inspiration to create several prototypes of their art along with students. On 19 April, Florian Malzacher, active in contemporary theater, will be a guest at Open Side.
The third area is related to involving Bocconi alumni who work in various cultural and artistic settings.
Education, contemporary art, publishing and culture have been the standard of Open Side's first year. Artistic considerations in higher education was brought to life with the Arianna Vairo's large mural, while publishing was the focus of the initiative 'Le Città di Milano', curated by the Legamenti collective. The latter event produced a book in real time using stories from many students who have moved to Milan from other parts of Italy and from around the world, describing how many different cities are experienced in Milan.
With a guide from Libri Finti Clandestini, handmade books pieced together thoughts, materials and notes from students on their life on campus. The students themselves bound the books by hand.
Lastly, literature took center stage during a social editing experiment. 'Le petit jeu' is a book created by the Gasconade collective that brings together experiences of being an artist in Milan. It is leading a collective editing effort that is still in progress through a series of meetings curated by various authors and writers at Open Side.