In January 1968, a severe earthquake struck Sicily. Several villages and towns in the Belice Valley, in the west of the island, were destroyed, including the medieval town of Gibellina. On the initiative of Ludovico Corrao, then mayor of Gibellina, the town was rebuilt in the years that followed, a few kilometres from its original site and in a completely new form. He had the idea of turning Gibellina into a town entirely dedicated to art and modernity, without losing its cultural roots.
One of these traditions is the annual procession for San Rocco, that takes places on 16 August. In the 1980s and 1990s, embroidered and appliquéd lengths of fabric, up to ten metres long, were carried behind the statue of the saint. These textile works, known as ‘Prisenti’, were designed by the artists who were also involved in the reconstruction of Gibellina, like e.g. Carla Accardi, Pietro Consagra and Aleghiero Boetti.
For a long time it was my biggest dream to create a Prisenti for San Rocco and take part in the procession dedicated to him. Last Sunday this dream came true. After I had put all my heart and my skills into the project for three years, sewing day and night for two and a half months, it was very moving as well as a great honour to see the citizens of Gibellina carry my textile work through the streets of their city.
Many thanks to Daniela Pirello, Marco Papa, Don Gioacchino and all the lovely people I keep meeting in Gibellina, la citta piu bella del mondo.