SCHOOL GALLEY STORY

Ciro Cirri started his artistic adventure in the ex primary school of San Secondo in 1996.

To be honest, there is an important background to this story, that is the meeting between Ciro and Mr Augusto Cantamessa.

One day Ciro was giving a concert with his former ensamble called "Architorti" , when Mr Cantamessa, a Turinese gentleman approached Ciro and asked him to pose for some photographs with his huge instrument, the double bass. After a few seconds of surprise and perplexity they agreed to have a meeting.

A week later the two men, one equipped with cameras and films, the other with his double bass, bow and tailcoat, went to a wood. It was the place that Mr Cantamessa had previously chosen and it was near the town of Bricherasio.

Ciro played the double bass for about three hours and for three hours Mr Cantamessa took pictures without saying a word. The only sounds it was possible to hear were the notes by Dragonetti, Kousseviski, Mengoli, Caimmi and Bottesini, the clicks of the camera and, of course, the noises from the wood.

This was the beginning of a deep friendship, full of regard and mutual respect.

Mr Cantamessa has always loved taking photographs in open spaces, belonging both to the natural environment or to the industrial archaeology. In addition, he has always been especially interested in deserted buildings, degraded by time and by man. He thinks they represent the past.

A new meeting was fixed and Ciro was invited to pose in a deserted primary school.

The place was somehow magic, full of light and immensely big. It was a sunny day and they could see how beautiful this place was but at the same time they realized that everywhere there was litter, broken glasses, running water and insects. However, they spent interesting hours together and it was exactly from this moment that Ciro started dreaming of this school.

He went to the town hall of San Secondo to ask some information about the school.

The school had been deserted nine years before and there was no precise idea about its future. Ciro thought what to do and proposed to restore the building at his expense in order to create a gallery of contemporary art. No sooner said than done! After the necessary experts' reports and the bureaucratic documents, in 1997 the School Gallery was opened.

Six months later Ciro elaborated a project according to which the ex school could become a cultural centre where different disciplines could share the same place and different generations, different cultures and experiences could compare. Unfortunately this project wasn't carried out for many reasons.

A huge amount of work was needed to clean the garden and the school.

Maybe it's a little bit obvious, but it's important to say that many friends worked very hard with Ciro without saving their strength: they cleaned, painted, dusted, scrubbed floors, changed windows and did many other important things (Claudio Giraudo is one of these hard-working friends).

A year later the school was ready and after a small opening with friends and close people, Ciro formally inaugurated his second exhibition called "I'm only Ciro Cirri".

Ciro's main occupation is music and it means variable working hours, often at night, so that a small living area was made out of the first floor where, at any time, he can work on his art. The only problem is the temperature in winter! As the central heating was out of order and it was impossible to mend it or to change it because of its cost, it's ok when, thanks to an electric fire and a paraffin stove, the temperature reaches 15 degrees!

In spite of everything, I know that these four years in this place, with discomforts and hardships that people are no longer used to, have been unique and fundamental for Ciro.

At present in the school gallery there is an exhibition whose elements are rather hard and contemporary.

I really hope that as soon as the exhibition is made public, you will come and see it.

There still should be a lot to say about this place and I'm sure that there will be chance for it.