Memorandum Italia 2019: la Sofferenza – Conferenza all’ Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, 15 novembre.

Memorandum Italia 2019: “La Sofferenza “, una conferenza. ” Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, @aoalessandria , 15 novembre. – [ “Suffering “, a conference at the National Hospital of the city of Alessandria, November 15. – ” La Souffrance, conference, Hopital National de la ville d’Alessandria, 15 novembre.]

Suffering – a Poster: I view the importance of a poster as an arch supported by pillars that set the tone of any of my presentations. In this case, not exactly a graphic resume of suffering as such, but rather the correlation between the nurse and the assisted patient – a person on an acute survival mode … like in an intensive care hospital unit. Much more than I am able to understand, the hospital’s nurse from my poster knowns what suffering means. Behind this image hides the true human being who has helped others in pain, in a nondiscriminatory way, for years. Until ultimately exhausted, she shifts roles, becoming ‘the’ patient herself to experience “suffering” from the other side, precisely the one she had attended too … like a odd mirroring effect. Suffering in the world knowns no fences or boundaries, it takes your immune system off guard and without warning you find yourself under attack.

Suffering – No Room to Philosophies: The is precisely the subject I had wish never being asked to present. Further more in an hospital, because as my surgeon friend put it out so blankly ” how convient to talk about this when being well”. I viewed as being a pure cowardice from my part to refuse to do so… besides, taking the risk of failing while tackling such a subject matter is not the issue. The feeling of possible failure does not prevent a dedicated surgeon to make it to the operating room. Where there is ‘suffering’ it is mandatory to drop our own pitiful pride and fears. It is not a ground to philosophies about, but rather an invitation to humbleness . What would it be if asked to clean up after a surgery room? In a comfortable and beautiful conference room there is no blood or tears drop spots. Even if graphic imagery may become upsetting it could have its healing purpose. My very question about ‘suffering’ has been ” what do I how known about it?” My answer has been ” not a lot “. Still, I will remain this “product”, borned just after WW II , from both parents ‘psychologically’ wounded, who did try rebuilding their lives without ever properly healing from…making me their internalizing witness.

Suffering – The Endless Facets: The phenomena doesn’t limite itself to the hospital environment. It expenses its to: ‘moral, collectif, historic…’ and so forth. It just takes a tour at the an antique market, on a overcast Sunday morning day of a roundup small Italian city to, pretty much, be able to field up your basket or backpack with a collection of “suffering testimonies “…Planty of crucifixions representations [ wood, plaster or plastic… your choice]. An old photo of an WW 2 German or Italian officer, [it goes with the war colonial helmets]. An original ” La Stampa” newspaper, front page copy boosting declaration of war. A peculiar long and thin metal device, yes, identifiable as a bayonet – [an expert arguing, to who wants to hear it, the Russian may have build the most efficient ones because the tip could be use as a screw driver as well, and therefor ” their hurt way more”..] In front of a painting of a madonna holding a chapelet of pearls for prayers stands a woman holding… her cell phone. A obsolete collector’s book on surgery’s technics. As, Nobel Laureate, Bob Dylan put it up ” … what else can you show me?…” I can walk throughout an almost abandoned “Citadel”; check out long flat cold smooth marble pieces, engraved with the names of various wars, spread like accounting sheets, recording 1000 and 1000 of young deaths per war units, no names of the victims mentioned! Could it be possible that there has been some stolen marbles pieces?

Suffering in New York City: Here are the ones holding onto their lives, all winter night long, sheltered inside cardboard boxes on side walks, in New York City. They are marginalized, label ” losers “, the ones worth less being counted as the ‘suffering’, most of them reduced to the role of collecting our dumped empty soda cans … for pennies.

This morning, in New York City, three emploies were planting a small tree at the edge of a side walk, while across the street their are been saling hundreds of cut trees for Christmas … guaranty to be dumped and piled up in both side of this street in just two weeks … it’s called “job creation”. Of course, we are up and arms about the deforestation of the Amazon, while buying into the excuse that “growing trees” to be cut for our consumption and the good spirit… of celebrating our brother/sisterhood. Isn’t it a gesture our children should enjoy while guarantying to perpetuate our values and traditions?

2005 New York Times Op-Ed linoleum cut – illustration

Suffering – Illustrating The News: A collection’s sample of my linoleum cuts commissioned and published by The New York Times. on the subject of conflicts, environment, and relationships.

Thank you to Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, their members, their staff for inviting me to create this event; and for their kind courtesy on support my art work presentation. Special thanks to Head Staff Nurse Sarah for initiating this very hard and complex project on “suffering”, the daily task the hospital is working intensely to alleviate, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.