Artist Spotlight is our regular feature introducing you to Cities and Memory artists around the world with an in-depth interview. In this edition, we introduce you to Florence-based composer and performer Cristina Italiani, who blends flute and field recordings and improvises with traditional Mediterranean music and music from the Far East.

My approach involves improvisation with traditional Mediterranean music and music from the Far East. My work is based on my cultivated desire to break down boundaries between genres and recombine different musical styles.

Passionate about the performing and visual arts, my practice involves thinking about music and imagery, performance and poetic resonance between these different fields.

• This is an example with Duo Hayet Sahara
• Bahia
• Contemplation

In recent works I have been reinterpreting field recordings and soundscapes creating a sonic journey that transports us to an atmosphere — metaphysical, cosmic and unconfined by any one genre:

• The Locals Trio album
• Water

About Promenade Astronomique: Exploring forms of relationship in the space that slowly takes shape and with the ringing of the bell of the Florence cathedral ”La Martinella” with a symbolic value of liberation, this piece conveys us through a mystical, metaphysical, erotic and cosmic soundscape.

This piece was recorded in Catania (Italy) with other musicians that must be mentioned:

• Cristina Italiani: flute, voice
• Antonio Aiello: Double bass
• Giuseppe Lacinsky Schillaci: electronics and producer

The interview continues below ⬇️, and this map collects together all of Cristina’s contributions to Cities and Memory: 

For me, Florence is a city full of contrasts between the area of the tourist centre and UNESCO World Heritage site, therefore international, its sounds are of languages from all parts of the world, the traffic and then the more popular neighbourhoods where you can hear dialects and typical shouts in “’Florentine”’ in the artisans’ markets.

Peace and tranquillity reign in the hills near Fiesole and there are oases where you can smell the scent of flowers and hear birdsong.

When I was a child, I was fascinated by the world of theatre and music thanks to some courses in primary school. Classically trained with studies and advanced courses in conservatories and academies also abroad, I have developed an interest in improvisation and in traditional Mediterranean music, Oriental music and maintain the perpetual desire to erase the boundaries between genres to bring together different musical styles to develop different artistic projects.

I have has won numerous grants spending various periods of residence abroad for international foundations such as Culture Moves Europe – Goethe Institut, Anna Lindh Foundation.

Passionate about artistic performance and visual arts in general, I integrate in my practice the way of thinking about music and visual arts, scenography and performance as well as the poetry of resonance between all these fields. The artistic drive and the desire to connect with other artists and the exchange of energy with the public represent for me a strong motivation for musical and human growth.

Especially in these times, music and culture in general can represent a bridge between us.

I love composing and performing live.

My transversal practise is between contemporary music, visual arts, and sound research. My performance includes also works with the body and the space.

I was proud for A new beginning of Xiamen for Migration Sounds, part of the Migration Sounds sound installation from the Pitt Rivers Museum. Now I am proud of Shanghai Dreams, where I reimagined Sanlin Old Street in Shanghai.

The bees swarming represent for me instantly calming down the mind and indicate the entrance into a dream world. Leaving the field recording intact I created five tracks with percussion, with gongs. The laughter of the Chinese girl represents the end of the dream. The original field recording inspired me to escape into the world of dreams where sharing, friendship and love reign.

This time I didn’t use the flute because I wanted to create a piece different from the others. I’m happy because even without the flute I managed to compose a piece taking care of the details and creating particular ”nuances” with the whispers and the sound of the percussions with its crescendo.

Here you could discover several artists. Evolving out of experimental art series The Hibernation Project, EARS HAVE EYES is an auditory exhibition space for sound art on the radio.

Named for the intersensorial experience of navigating wild spaces at night (when our ears prick like eyes squinting into the darkness) EARS HAVE EYES asks: what can the invisibility of sound illuminate? How does the intimacy of listening open our eyes to ideas we might otherwise overlook? What can sonorous spaces hold that physical spaces cannot? How do we look with our ears, and listen with our eyes?

At the beginning of a performance we create a whisper of women from different backgrounds with words about freedom, emancipation in different Mediterranean languages. It touched my emotions because it created a powerful energy and created a strong sense of belonging to a community.

Tascam Stereo Handheld Recorder, a portable hand-held recorder, I use DR – 40 x 4 channel because it has a high performance.

I was selected for an immersive sound residency in central Portugal, where I will try to explore new sounds especially with voice and poetry. At the same time, I am also looking for funds to finance my work.