Robert Wilson and the Watermill Center take the stage for illy in the Triennale’s gardens

Milan, 2 September 2014 – On the occasion of the launch of the Watermill Center illy Art Collection, the new espresso cup collection curated by Bob Wilson and created by him together with the artists who revolve around the homonymous contemporary art workshop, illycaffè invited friends and special guests to an exclusive event to be held at Milan’s Triennale: Red Night, an evening of live performances by twenty young artists from twelve different countries.

Red Night was an evening of total immersion in the world of performance art and in the multidisciplinarity of shared creation which is at the base of the institution founded by Wilson in 1992, the same year illy launched the illy Art Collection.

“illy has been promoting contemporary art and young artists since its beginnings – said Andrea Illy, Chairman and CEO of illycaffè – we are proud of the collaboration with the master Robert Wilson and the Watermill Center of New York which has materialised into an exceptional collection of espresso cups and into the Red Night performance. The choice of the location purposely represents the continued collaboration with the Triennale, where we are creating a path made of coffee, art and sustainability that will lead us to the EXPO 2015 - of which illy is the Official Coffee Partner  and will also be the curator of the Coffee Cluster, the exhibition’s coffee stand”.

Installations and performances by:
Artists: Alex Berlage (Australia), Krystian Lyson (Poland), Annick Lavallée Benny (Canada), Christina Sotiropoulou (Greece), Alessandra Armenise (Italy), Francesca Fini (Italy), Fanny Lavergne (France), Mette Sterre (Netherlands), Doran Silek Patec (Slovenia), Paula Garcia (Brazil), Marianna Kavallieratos (Greece), Carlos Soto (USA), Christopher Knowles (USA), Gintare Minelgaite (Lithuania), Emma Tubbs (UK).

  • Alex Berlage e Krystian Lyson – Third Face. Alex and Krystian explores the interaction between force and chance. The human figure engages in a dialogue with a foreign environment, confronted by the unpredictable and spontaneous force of the elements
  • Annick Lavallée – n.u.b.e. A cloud over a field made of porcelain.
  • Christina Sotiropoulou – “86420b”. A series of still like sculptures in which the headpieces look like an armour. They are created from the repetition of the same feminine form/part in different sizes.
  • Alessandra Armenise – Keep talking to me. A tribute to Scheherazade whois forced to tell stories in order to save her life, a woman is knitting incessantly her own prison.
  • Francesca Fini – FAIR & LOST (in the woods). The performer is subject to electric shocks on both arms, causing strong involuntary muscle contractions, while trying to wear makeup and doing ordinary action in a reflection on beauty and national identity.
  • Fanny Lavergne – The Rest of the Tales. A pillow-dress, worn by a strange woman who invites people to sit down beside her on the pillows. The dress is an occasion to share stories or short tales in an abstract way.
  • Mette Sterre – Hummelmania. 5 rubberband creatures that typewrite their days away caught in an invisible office space, while their main leader wanders around his office unit without getting any work done. In this performance Mette Sterre questions the work ethics and power structures of office hierarchy in a playful manner.
  • Mette Sterre – Structurealist. Inspired by the Fibonacci patterns in deep sea animals and crystal formations, Mette Sterre presents a new creature, developing a new body language for the non-human, grotesque body.
  • Dorian Šilec Petek – Stabat Mater, passion. In depths of mind, hidden behind the Burkas lie mutilated faces of a woman who committed the crime of crossing Man’s self determined and self-important path. A reflection on attacks on women because of refusing sexual advances, proposals of marriage and demands for dowry.
  • Christopher Knowles – House. Chants and nursery rhymes at sunset.
  • Carlos Soto – My heart’s in my hand, and my hand is pierced, and my hand’s in the bag, and the bag is shut, and my heart is caught. The movement is quoted directly from concert footage of fans rushing onstage to kiss the singer Morrissey.
  • Marianna Kavallieratos – On’. an action never finished, a word never ended ,a sound never heard On’ is a journey into everyones everydays meaningless tasks. The choreography uses Christopher Knowles Parsifal text as music.
  • Paula Garcia – Noise Body. A body that is defined by a sum of three factors: precariousness, uncertainty and risk.
  • Gintare Minelgaite and Emma Tubbs – De’Coy. A decoy is a person, device, or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.

Where: Milan Triennale – illyartlab
Opening: Tuesday 2 September at 6.30pm – invitation only.

For the press kit and images, please click here

Robert Wilson(born 1941, Waco, Texas) attended the University of Texas where he showed a strong interest in architecture, design and painting. In 1963, he transferred to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where he came into direct contact with the pioneering dance choreographers Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham, as well as the work of John Cage.
The loft where Robert Wilson lived – formerly the Open Theater – soon became a meeting point for artists, craftsmen, housewives, retirees, businessmen, intellectuals and an assortment of impoverished youth before transmuting into a factory-laboratory, the first nucleus of the Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds that he founded. Robert Wilson never had a formal education in theater arts, which, according to some, is why his work is so original.

illycaffè, with headquarters in Trieste, produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee and is the leading brand in the high-end segment of the coffee market. More than 6 million cups of illy espresso coffee are enjoyed every day. Sold in more than 140 countries around the world, illy is available in more than 100,000 of the world’s best restaurants and cafés. espressamente illy, the Italian-style coffee franchising chain, is present with 230 outlets in more than 30 countries to date. To grow and spread the culture of coffee, the company has established Coffee University, a center of excellence that offers full training in all aspects of coffee theory and practice to growers, baristas and coffee lovers. Globally, the company employs around 1,050 people and, in 2013, recorded consolidated sales of € 373.9 million. illycaffé buys green coffee directly from growers of the best Arabica through partnerships based on sustainable development. Working with the best growers in the world – in Brazil, Central America, India, Africa and China – the Trieste-based company develops long-term relationships that transfer know-how and technology to growers while paying above the market rate for their production.

For more information:
www.illy.com
illycaffè – Anna Adriani/Christine Pascolo,Tel. 040/389.0111 – Fax 040/389.0490
illy Press Office – Connexia
Valentina Calaminici: valentina.calaminici@connexia.com
Ilaria Montalti: ilaria.montalti@connexia.com