2005 - "The Sound of Stones"

Magistri Comacini, masters who built Europe

European Union has promoted a project presented by the Fondazione Festival Autunno Musicale jointly with the Comitato Lombardia Europa Musica 2000, the town of Girona in Catalonia and Warsaw University. The Comitato Lombardia Europa Musica 2000 participates to the event with a study on the extraordinary skills of the Comacini Masters: "Magistri Cumacini: myth and memory. Architectures in the countries and times of the Magistri Cumacini".

The co-organisers

Fondazione Festival Autunno Musicale a Como
La Fondazione Festival Autunno Musicale a Como is the main organiser of the exhibition "Magistri Comacini, masters who built Europe" and will programme an exhibition on "Comacini Masters: myth and memory" from 10 October to 27 November 2005 showing the most representative monuments of the 19th century.
At the conclusion of the exhibition will take place a congress in Milan on the theme "Comacini Masters: myth and memory".

University of Warsaw and Institute of History of Art
Since September 2004 the Faculty of Story of Warsaw University organised a course for the students of the university and for the students from the partner countries of the project "Comacini artists" in 16th, 17th and 18th century in Poland. The course will be based on seminars about the migration of these artists (architects, sculptors, plasterers and painters) from the area surrounding Como and the Ticino towards Poland.
The course was held by Professor Karpowicz responsible for the course of History of art and by his assistants. It lasted a whole academic year from September to May and at its conclusion a volume of the series "Ikono Theka" will be published. Its theme will be an overview of Italian Art and of the artists presented in the course.

Municipality of Girona and Catalonia National Museum
In collaboration with the Institute for Arts and Heritage of Girona University
The focus of the conference will be the connections between the Comacini Masters and Catalonia.
Principal themes:

• Tradition and innovation of the so called "Lombardic" architecture in Catalonia
• Architecture of the early Romanesque and architectonical innovation
• Romanesque as national identity

the programme will analyse the following topics: Lombardic builders: tradition and innovation / Innovation in Lombardic building technologies / The origin of the Lombardic template, remains of an ancient tradition? Sculptors from Ticino and their projection in Catalonia / Lombardia-Catalonia. Catalan Romanesque: national art of Catalonia? / Mediterranean art and figurative language in Catalonia: the way of transmission / Romanesque in Navarre and Aragon, a Catalan way? / Pioneer scholars Puig i Cadafaich, II Toesca,Grodecki / Sant Pere de Rodes: architecture out of context/ The Lombardics at the Seu d'Urgell / Lithurgy in the Lombardic space / The "hartex" in the Romanesque architecture / The axe Narbonne-Girona-Vic, 3 cathedrals with one nave.
The responsible for the entire project is P�re Freixas

University of Innsbr�ck
Organisation of a 5 day seminar for students from the partner countries; its main objective is to start the cataloguing of the works and information about the Magistri Cumacini via their website, already under construction.

EXHIBITION
Art Masters between Como and Europe
Cant�, Basilica of San Vincenzo in Galliano
10-27 November 2005
Curators Fabio Cani / Nodo Como
Under the patronage of Ordine degli Architetti
Opening 10 November 6 pm

Cycle of conferences
Understanding the Romanesque
Cant�, Basilica of San Vincenzo in Galliano
13-20-27 November 2005 5 pm
organised by the Ordine degli Architetti di Como