Enormous blue snails have been placed on the rooftop of the Duomo di Milano. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world in need of some serious TLC. The absolutely breathtaking gothic architecture took just about six centuries to complete. Now, after sitting in the square of Milan, Italy all these years, age has taken its toll, and the Cracking Art Group has come to the rescue. To raise awareness to the tremendous need of restoring this structure, they have launched REgeneration. By placing 50 of these little creatures about they hope to grab attention of the public. Similar smaller versions of the blue snail sculptures have been sold at the Glauco Cavaciuti Gallery where all net proceeds will go towards this fund.
This isn’t the first time the Cracking Art Group have used their creative juices toward a good cause. It is a collection of six international artists known for taking snails and artfully displaying them in protest. It is a way to use their gifts in art toward a bigger picture. All the sculptures are made from recycled plastics. They wish to reflect an ethically responsible way to express a point by changing a city scape without causing any permanent damage or hurting the environment.
They have used the snail as their subject because of three thoughtful reasons. First because the shell reminds them of the shape of the human ear. Their primary objective is to get people to listen to the issues. Second is because the shell is home on their back. This relates to the living; whereas these thoughts are applicable to the audience in their hometown. Third, is because the shell is similar to the look of the @ sign on your computer. This implies to multimedia communication and its power to convey a convincing message.
Pictures ©Sara Moiola
