Welcome / Benvenuti
to [sm]art Festival 21!
We bring to you our first digital edition of a two-day festival 20-21 Feb 2021 hosted in Spoleto, Italy, city of art and culture pre-dating Rome.
Co-creating and dreaming with fellow artists and creatives from around the world, especially curated for anyone to tune in with live-streaming, a presto!
Get engaged!
#smartfestival21
Mingle with our Artists!
Festival mystery appearance revealed!
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Photo Credit: Sebastian James Lister
Gavin Irvine (Film Director)
Gavin is a multi-award winning Northern Irish filmmaker based in London.
Gavin Irvin Film
Travel with our Artists!
At [sm]art Festival 21 we travel around the world in a digital way, until we can restart something that is in our human nature: the arts, the culture, the cinemas, the social, the travel, the discovery, the dreaming ...
Click on the map and see where the artists take you ...
Click anywhere on the map and travel with the artists!
Join us in our digital journey around the world with fellow artists from New York, Boston, Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, London, Paris, Dakar, Berlin, Lisbon, Torino, Milano, Rome, Bari, Athens, Nicosia, Dhaka, Mombasa, Cape Town, Sidney, Christchurch, performing live and sharing their work at (sm)art Festival 21 hosted in Spoleto, city of arts and culture that pre-dates Rome ...
Get ready Dancing with Riccardo Meneghini!
Counting down dancing towards the [sm]art Festival 21 ...
Riccardo Meneghini
Riccardo Meneghini, is inviting us to dance towards the [sm]art Festival 21 following a few steps, a few ideas that can put some attention and some inspiration in moving.
Daddy's Note with director Gavin Irvine and cast:
Sebastian Lister, Ady Lloyd, Bianca Drakes and Verity Firth
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Photo Credit: Sebastian James Lister
Get ready for the screening of award-winning director's hilarious comedy, Daddy's Note ...
'Amir's Blue Elephant' with Melissa Hekkers
Photo Credit: Artur Melez Tixiliski
Click on images to hear excerpts from Amir's Blue Elephant narrated by Melissa Hekkers.
A woman's journey into the lives of Europe's refugees, meet the journalist and author Melissa Hekkers at [sm]art Festival 21 recounting her footsteps as she joins the journey of thousands of refugees seeking safety in Europe.
'DEAD FROGS' a project by Ina Nico and Francesco Di Loreto
A project by Ina Nico and Francesco Di Loreto.
MUSIC BY:
DEAD FROGS
Ina Nico:
VOICES, KEYBOARDS, TEXT
Francesco Di Loreto:
GUITAR, PROGRAMMING, SYNTHESIZER
Brace yourself for #smartaward21 with Niaz Maleknia
Selected photos are exhibited during the intervals at [sm]art Festival 21 for entry into the first edition of [sm]art 21 photo awards!
"To be unafraid is to tempt fate"
Margarita Gokun Silver is a writer and an artist, more information about Maragarita’s work can be found on her website.
'Finite' with Margarita Gokun Silver
'Construct - Demolish - Repair' with Adi Atassi
"I'm drawn to chaos, accidents and the harmony and beauty found within. In my work, I provoke the accident to later, during the creative process, embrace it, while looking for reconciliation and homeostasis. My approach when creating is a construct-demolish-repair process, and during this struggle I find a brute yet honest identity of my subjects." - Adi Atassi -
From 'make-up artist to artisan' with Melissa Chartan
After years of research and practice blending oils, I have not only learned about the specific benefits of each oil, but also mastered which combinations work best. Over time, my blending of oils evolved into the formulation of natural skincare products. The results were so significant that I just couldn't keep it a secret, and with a loyal following from family and friends, I eventually decided to bring my products to market. After a year of refining my formulas, Planted was born in my kitchen.
'Dreamweave' with Karin F Giusti
Public Art with a deep reflective sensibility, at [sm]art Festival 21 'weaving together the cities of the world' we will be visiting the studio of Karin F Giusti.
"The overarching theme of this project is to weave a third space into existence as if a wise 'Spider Woman' could harness cultural creative energies of Edward W Soja’s conceptualization of Thirdspace powers, this is 'dreamweaving' where everything comes together… subjectivity and objectivity, the abstract and the concrete, the real and the imagined." Karin F. Giustini (Public Artist)
'Gospel Music' with Elina Lenga
"Singing is her talent... more so gospel music... Given the opportunity to perform, Elina Lenga says she becomes unstoppable to inspire and comfort people to the community and the world at large... at the same time she is looking to use her talent to meet her daily life needs." Weenee Madnjay
'The Code of Them All' with Mellisa Felix
The Code of Them All. Mellisa Felix is a novelist in the process of querying her Young Adult Fiction novel, The Code of Them All — told in competing storylines by Vera (the descendent of healers), her best friend, Will, and an omniscient narrator (a historiographer), and set in the era of “Fake News.” Will steals Vera’s family’s ancient Code book, and a hex falls on him and the town of Beacon’s Reach, NC. In order to un-hex Will, and to save the town that has hated her family for generations, Vera and Will travel to the future, to Stonebridge Academy, a school of history and the arts, where they learn how to study history and the stories of the actual people who lived it. Their mission? To travel to three historical periods: (South Carolina, 1863; Sobibor Camp, Poland, 1943; and Washington DC, 1954) to fight for the marginalized victims in history. Told so the reader must ask WWYD (What Would You Do?) and via excerpts from the Code book, poetry, and dropped clues — think Danielewski’s House of Leaves for young readers — this novel tackles mainstream beliefs, starting with the history that unites us all.
“Italianizzata” with Rachel Zitin
"Italianizzata" describes Rachel's personal evolution with a global pandemic as the backdrop where her adoration of the Eternal City radiates in every aspect of her life, and was published by Open Doors Review January 2021.
'Lorenzo's Vest' with Graham Hofmann
Reading from his debut book, Graham is sharing some anecdotes not to be missed by Italy lovers!
On his very first trip to Italy, Graham comes back to the UK with more than just any ordinary souvenir; he returns having bought a house. With nothing more than phrase book Italian, excited and uncertain of what he’s done, it’s the biggest gamble of his life. Lorenzo’s Vest offers an entertaining understanding of Italy and Italians as observed through the eyes of a straniero. It gives the reader, in just a few pages, a real insight into the Italy of the past, its history, its politics and its struggle to become a modern nation; questioning those who still suggest that true Italian nationhood has yet to be achieved. This insight extends to painting a vivid picture of life in Italy today, the exquisite joys to be absorbed, alongside the frustrations of experiencing life in Italy ...
'Tony and his big fish' with Beatrice Rehema Katite
Special thanks to Dean Colvin from Willow Video Productions
Beatrice Rehema Mlaa Katite is an upcoming author who is in the process of writing her debut book 'Tony and his Big Fish'. She is also the founder of Bernd with Rehema Foundation aiming to provide affordable schooling and healthcare in Kenya.
Having had to fight for her late husband’s wish to Rest In Peace in Kenya, Rehema discovered writing as a way of healing the wound which she was nursing.
First edition of [sm]art 21 book award!
Featured [sm]art book!
Impeccable by Jameel Sandham
"The new Breaking Bad"
Open to emerging and established authors, tag your book with #smartaward21, #smartfestival21 for automatic entry into [sm]art 21 book awards!
Poems to keep you company with Sam J. Grudgings
'You were once forgotten' with Juliette Geissler
Juliette Geissler | You were once forgotten | at (sm)art 21
"Juliette Geissler is 21 years old artist from Paris and Berlin currently studying Fine Arts. She works with colours, words, lines and emotions throughout many different mediums although mainly through painting and drawing. Her main themes are her relationship to herself as well as to others, the search for a space between two people in which they can share safely and ultimately connect with one another, as well as rewriting and rearranging past narratives." Ina Nico [sm]art Executive Curator
'What Children Remember' with Tasha Hunter
What Children Remember is a personal account of surviving complex developmental trauma. This memoir poignantly sheds light on the virulent emotional effects of childhood abuse. Following the author through her years of struggling with issues of abandonment and post-traumatic stress, her story brings to life her search for meaning, acceptance, and love. As a mental health advocate who now specializes in the treatment of PTSD, she provides a unique perspective on the importance of building relationships with one's self, with others, and with God. Her story validates the emotional pillars of faith and forgiveness in one's lifelong recovery. This true story is a modern-day fairy tale which movingly describes one seeker's quest to overcome the Goliaths in her life in order to find her true purpose.
'WADI' with Aen Turner
Aen dreamt the main scene of this story and chose to publish it in her maiden name, Aen Hussein, in dedication to her late father. A young girl survives a world-wide flood and wakes up beached, clinging to the back of an upturned boat. She doesn't remember how she got there, or anything that happened beforehand, not even her name.
It's a story of the triumph of our basic human instincts over great adversity and how being free of our past can be a source of great freedom and vibrancy of life and soul.
Join her on an epich journey to find out what happened and be part of an awe-inspiring adventure.
'Revisiting Calcata' with Janet Steen
According to the New York Times, Calcata "may be the grooviest village in Italy, home to a wacky community of about 100 artists, bohemians and aging hippies."
Thirty-odd years ago, on the verge of disappearance, Calcata stirred back to life. In the 1930s, the Fascist government included the 16th-century town on a list of places too unstable to inhabit. A fault line might open up; the buildings might buckle. In the 1960s, at government expense, the village was abandoned and residents were given houses in a modern settlement up the hill. Calcata became a ghost town; it never did collapse.
Along came some pioneering hippies and artists in the 1970s. They bought the medieval buildings for a song and set up house. Some of the spaces revealed a secret bonus: Etruscan caves, dating from around 1050 B.C., where the primordial ooze of life was as palpable as the damp walls and ground, and where some artists carved out studios and homes. There was no water, no electricity, no central heating, and no cars allowed, but free love flowed, and with it the usual assortment of chemical diversions.
Janet Steen visited Calcata back in 2011 and wrote about it here
'Bona Dea' with Sandy Humby
Bona Dea
Lucas Bona Dea by solo artist Lina Hermsdorf (narrated by Paola Dionisotti) is exhibited in London at Jupiter Woods, a female led arts organisation.
"The Bona Dea releasing in a most beautiful colourful canvas what is past... to draw down deep with. To move to stillness, to nourish and replenish." Sandy Marie Humby (Energy Alchemist)
Connecting with the whispered messages of Bona Dea with Sandy Humby.
Sandy has worked with and for women for nearly 40 years, guiding them on a pathway to finding their truest expression through the sharing of their stories. A natural sensitive, she has woven her innate Creativity with the Healing Arts in many ways, exploring different facets of her own path through life, but always with one focus… A knowing, that this truly is an uncovering and a journey home, to Self, to Love.
Bona Dea, the Good Goddess holds a key to this calling to true Homecoming, to revealing and empowering the authentic voice and expression of the Feminine essence. Just as SHE called the women in Ancient Rome, over 2000 years ago, HER voice and invitation to connect with the Sacred dance within, is as true today as then… and is calling once more to be heard.
During her time on the residency at Casale Flaminia, Sandy had the opportunity to walk and connect with the land. Bona Dea was alive and active as a voice to be shared and the story that unfolded is in her book currently in progress… Rose Heart.
'Vivaldi in Love' with Adi Atassi
Adaption of "Mozart in Love" we bring to you Vivaldi in Love a poetic and artistic interpretation by Adi Atassi. While we are engaged by musical notes, maestro Adi begins to register his feeling of the musical reverberations into an artistic display, through colours and drawings. During four intervals at [sm]art festival 21 live streaming, as the four seasons unfold… we will sense the interaction and integration of different forms of art and music, in a harmonious state, which resonate into the language of love.
'Voices over the sea' with Davina Johnson
"My passion for human rights has taken me to the refugee camps of Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. I feel privileged hearing the stories of the people I meet. They are intimate and give perspective to what we hear in the news. I also enjoy telling those stories. Generally, I tell them through how they affected me. After all, the original story isn't mine to tell, only the impact it had on me is." Davina Johnson (Storyteller)
'Against Wisdom' with Teresa Albor
"As we age we are said to be 'wise', which can be a way of telling us to 'be quiet and stay calm' -- I prefer to stay angry and take up space" Teresa Albor (Multidisciplinary Artist)
'Hidden Worlds of Words' with Adi Atassi and Moctar Datt
"My task as an artist is to reveal those 'hidden worlds of words', where words and letters turn into a form that can be related to the inner written words. It is the absolute abstraction of the content of the words or crafts and the creation of imaginary worlds hidden by words in their letters" - Adi Atassi -
"My task as a healer is to vibrate those 'hidden worlds of words', manifesting our digital journey until we can restart something that is in our human nature: the arts, the culture, the cinemas, the social, the travel, the discovery, the dreaming" - Moctar Datt -
'Over the Wall' with Ralph Overbeck
"Over the Wall is a journey of a diverse London based football team playing their way through Egypt and Israel to become the first British sports team to ever play in Palestine."
Ralph Overbeck (Associate Producer)
'Life is a Beach' with Ingrid Taro
Ingrid Taro between New York and Europe exhibiting at [sm]art Festival 21, a presto!
"We are delighted to have Ingrid Taro at [smeo]art Festival 21, joining our distinguished panel for the [sm]art 21 photo awards!" Niaz Maleknia (Founder Young Photographers London).
'Berlin recordings' with Gero Cacciatore
Gero Cacciatore recording from Berlin is exhibiting at [sm]art Festival 21, a presto!
"We are delighted to have Gero Cacciatore at [sm]art Festival 21, joining our distinguished panel for the [sm]art 21photo awards!" Niaz Maleknia (Founder Young Photographers London).
'Living your Dream Life' with Ingrid Christensen
The Live Your DreamLife Today Interview Series began on the 10th June 2020 in response to a growing desire in our communities to become independent from traditional income streams. With more people desiring a greater balance in their lives and even more control over their futures, Ingrid saw a gap in the knowledge field as to how to make it happen.
'The art of healing' from Senegal with Moctar Datt
"My healing secrets – from how to help lessen a serious toothache instantly, to inducing joyful bodily sensations, generating rivers of healing in someone else with or without touching, seeing sacred lights with your eyes closed, healing yourself, distance healing." Moctar Datt sharing his healing secrets at [sm]art Festival 21
'Streetwear art' with Zara Siddique
Rhetorik started off back in 2016 as a few friends wanting to challenge what they saw in the fashion industry. We wanted to create beautiful streetwear, but not have to compromise on our ethics. We've all got our own projects, Jimmi's an author and Zara's studying Artificial Intelligence, but Rhetorik is where we get to live true and save the planet ...
"It all came about very serendipitously. I always wanted a clothes brand. I had been pondering it for years. Geometric, bold, monochrome — I always liked that style. I met Lizzy and saw her drawings and thought, we gotta get those on some clothes. Then Zara makes the illustrations printable. You do very fine drawings that look great, that you can’t do as fine in print.”
Jimmi Sandham (Founder Rhetorik)
Festival Keynotes !
'Opening Keynotes' with Vitor Pereira and Ralph Overbeck
"Inspired by Vitor's concluding note reflecting on Smart Travel 20 edition, carrying his vision, and miracle aligner legacy, the first edition of [sm]art Festival 21was born! "
Ralph Overbeck [sm]art Executive
"We traveled around the world in a digital way, but we need to restart something that is in our human nature: the arts, the culture, the social, the travel, the discovery, the dreaming."
Vitor Pereira (Founder Smart Travel)
'Keynote Dialog' between Rosie McGurran and Adi Atassi
Travelling to Belfast and Nicosia at [sm]art Festival 21 in dialog with artists Adi Atassi and Rosie McGurran.
Rosie and Adi will be reflecting on key moments in their lives as aspiring artists, sharing what helped them on their way to become recognised artists with their work exhibited at home and abroad.
In 1997 Rosie McGurran was awarded the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Fellowship to The British School at Rome, this was a defining period of time for her working in an international environment and created a series of opportunities taking her work from Rome to Naples then Iceland.
Her work came to national attention in Ireland in 1996 when it was featured in the Irish times following a modest exhibition at Feile an Phobail. Rosie McGurran has exhibited internationally and throughout Ireland since then and has received many awards, bursaries and residencies.
Rosie McGurran significantly relocated to the small village of Roundstone on Ireland's west coast in 2000. Her life and work there engages with the unique artistic community of generations past while making her own narrative paintings, teaching and curating. While continuing to exhibit in Ireland, she has also particularly enjoyed working in Australia and New York City on many occasions. She is an active member of the Royal Ulster Academy in Belfast where she has delivered talks, workshops and lectures as part of the Annual Exhibition Education Programme.
Adi Atassi was born in Homs, Syria in 1962. Growing up in beautiful landscapes, where the colors of nature alternate dramatically under the glaring light and where history and religion coexist, it was natural for his love of art to surface. At the age of 18, he entered the University of Damascus, where he studied Fine Arts.
Like a sea gull flying to different lands building its nests, Adi’s fate brought him to Cyprus, which has provided him with his new home since 1987. His status as a foreigner, has given him the loneliness an artist needs, but at the same time, the familiarity of the climate and the history of place, has given him the love and warmth necessary for his creativity to thrive.
He has held a variety of exhibitions hosted by the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts, and he has participated in many group shows in Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Romania, Germany, and Spain. In 2006, he won first prize in the art-competition for the design and creation of a work of art for the new Supreme Court building in Nicosia.
'Closing remarks' with Max Blumberg and Ralph Overbeck
"Known for my straight-talking, inspirational and sometimes off-the-wall approach, I enjoy breaking down barriers to take us to previously unimaginable destinations."
Dr Max Blumberg (Talent Psychologist)
"I'm delighted to welcome my dear friend Max at [sm]art Festival 21 for us to reflect on our first edition with closing remarks"
Ralph Overbeck [sm]art Executive
Check out the Festival Program!
Get your free tickets!
Registration for the [sm]art Festival 21 is now open! Register for free and book your free ticket for this live-streaming event coming to you on the 20-21 February, a presto!
Registered Ticket Holders!
Get ready, co-creating, dreaming, dancing, stealing the moments..., dedicated to arts and culture. Be inspired by [sm]art artists and creatives. Because the world needs them now more than ever!
Grazie mille to our Friends & Sponsors!
Festival Curators!
[sm]art Executives
Ralph Overbeck (Festival Organiser)
Vitor Pereira (Festival Associate)
Mellisa Felix (Festival Curator)
Ina Nico (Executivel Curator)
[sm]art Curators
Adi Atassi (Fine Arts)
Mellisa Felix (Literature)
Sam Grudgings (Poetry)
Karin F Giusti (Public Art)
Riccardo Meneghini (Dance)
Niaz Maleknia (Photography)
[sm]art Patrons
Francesca Romana d'Alessandro (Honorary Patron)
Rehema Beatrice Katite (Honorary Patron)
Ingrid Christensen (Honorary Patron)
Melissa Hekkers (Honorary Patron)
Sandy Humby (Honorary Patron)
Curated by
in smart association with
