Torino Spiritualità

I was not able to follow many of the readings and discussions and performances organized for this amazing gathering that is Torino Spiritualità, during which thousands of people come to Torino to listen to inspiring talks about spirituality.

I attended a performance by Fabrizio Vespa called Kumbhaka, something inbetween a concert and a reading. And was not totally enthusiastic about it.

I mean: take the bass player of one of the leading bands in Italy (Subsonica). Take the member of another iconic band (Africa Unite). Put them together. The music is almost done. Then take a few singers, poets, writers, painters. Put them altogether and stir slowly. What you are trying to cook here is a reproduction of the 10 commandments of the Catholic religion. Which they all represent in their own, non-religious way. All the ingredients should be there, yet there's something missing for the perfect recipe. The video is capturing at times but then distracting. The quality of the performance is not consistently good. If a couple of performers excel and their message goes straight to your heart or to your mind, a few of them are as insignificant as tasteless food. And, even if they are presented on the same table, they are not on the same menu. If at times you feel like you have to dance 'cause the music is compelling, at other times you really wonder what the message is that a few of these performers do not seem able to express in words nor feelings. These ups and downs kind of ruin the whole, so I could not say that I absolutely loved this performance, though I certainly liked a few of the things in it.

A very inspiring moment, on the other hand, was the talk by Davide Meghnagi intitled "The mystery of artistic creation". Mr. Meghnagi is professor at Università Roma Tre and teaches Clinical Psychology, Dynamic Psychology and Psychology. Through an interesting and passionate reconstruction of Freud's analysis of great masters such as Michelangelo and Leonardo, of his own feelings while admiring their works, he described the relationship of an author to his/her work and the final user, trying to identify what it is that makes all the subjects involved being alert and receptive.

I will try to follow next year's Torino Spiritualità more closely, let's see if I can.